Lawson to Connecticut, Penicheiro to Los Angeles in WNBA Off-Season Free Agent Moves
By Lee Michaelson
Publisher
Several WNBA teams saw roster changes this week as clubs raced to sign the league’s top free agents. Kara Lawson, who many considered to be one of, if not the most, valuable players dispersed from the now-defunct Sacramento Monarchs, signed a three-year deal Tuesday with the Connecticut Sun, where she will join former UConn stars Renee Montgomery, also recently agreed to come home to Connecticut, along with the number one pick in this year’s WNBA draft in a deal that sent Lindsay Whalen and the number two draft pick to the Minnesota Lynx. The Sun also re-signed Lithuanian star Anete Jekabsone-Zogota.
On Wednesday, the Sacramento Press reported that Lawson’s former Monarchs’ teammate Ticha Penicheiro, a 12-year veteran of the league, has agreed to and will soon sign a contract with the Los Angeles Sparks, once Sacramento’s chief rival. Though that transaction has not yet been confirmed on the WNBA’s web site, the Press account quoted the native of Portugal as stating she was “looking forward” to playing with the Sparks’ front line of Candace Parker, Delisha Milton-Jones and Tina Thompson and that the right thumb that had been surgically repaired last November was nearing full recovery. Though Penicheiro may have lost a step or two over the years, she brings a wealth of experience and good judgment to the point guard position that has been the Achilles heel for the Sparks for the last two seasons.
Yesterday, the WNBA reported that the Atlanta Dream had signed Belarussian star Yelena Leuchanka. The 6-5 center, who played collegiately for West Virginia after a stint in juior college to perfect her English, saw limited minutes off the bench for the Charlotte Sting in 2006 and the Washington Mystics in 2007, before being picked up by the Dream in the expansion draft in the team’s inaugural year (2008). However, Leuchanka, a four-time member of the Belarus National Team, sat out 2008 to prepare for the Beijing Olympics, and since then, the Dream has reportedly had a difficult time getting pen to paper. This year, they have finally sealed the deal, although Leuchanka’s additional to a front line that includes Sancho Lyttle and Erika De Souza (both WNBA All Stars last season) may be more depth than the current 13-member roster can afford.
Two other teams added stability to their line-ups this week, as the Chicago Sky re-signed free agent Dominique Canty and the San Antonio Silver Stars re-signed free agent and reserve center Ruth Riley.
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