Former UConn star Olivia Nelson-Ododa is coming back to Connecticut as Sun trade veteran point guard Jasmine Thomas to Los Angeles Sparks
The Connecticut Sun appear to be completely reshaping their roster ahead of their first season under new head coach Stephanie White.
Hours after announcing a trade that sent 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones to the New York Liberty, the Sun announced that veteran point guard Jasmine Thomas is headed out the door too. The franchise will get a former UConn women’s basketball player in return.
Connecticut has traded Thomas and its first round pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft (10th overall) to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for former Husky Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Jasmine Walker and the rights to Kianna Smith. Thomas will reunite with former Sun coach Curt Miller, who left the franchise in October to join the Sparks.
The Sun now have the sixth (via New York Liberty), 22nd and 34th picks in the 2023 WNBA Draft as they enter a new-look era under general manager Darius Taylor, who was hired in late November.
Thomas had been a staple for the Sun since joining the team from the Atlanta Dream in 2015. She sat out the majority of last season with a torn ACL. At the time of the injury, she was fifth in franchise history and first among active players with 222 games played for the team. In her last full season with the team, in 2021, Thomas averaged 10.6 points, 4.0 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game.
“Jasmine Thomas’s presence on and off the court has been both a driving force and a calming presence to her teammates,” Taylor said. “Her leadership and toughness have gotten the Connecticut Sun franchise to incredible heights over the last 8 years. As we look toward the future, we saw moving her as an opportunity to build, while also remaining as a championship contender for years to come.”
Nelson-Ododa joins the Sun for her second season in the league after being drafted 19th overall out of UConn in the 2022 WNBA Draft. A 6-foot-5 center, Nelson-Ododa averaged 4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14.5 minutes per game for the Sparks last year, while ranking fifth in the league in field goal percentage at 56.0%. She played for the Huskies from 2018-2022, helping lead the program to three Final Fours. She averaged 9.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.7 blocks per game in 2021-22 and was named a 2022 All-Big East First Team selection.
“Olivia is a promising young player that gives us depth and much needed length in the post,” Taylor said. “Olivia’s potential to grow as both a player and a person in our organization is limitless. We look forward to her coming back to Connecticut and joining the team.”
Jasmine Walker averaged 1.6 points and 1.5 rebounds in 8.8 minutes per game for the Sparks last season. The 6-foot-3 forward was drafted seventh overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft out of Alabama, but missed most of her rookie season with a torn ACL.
“Jasmine Walker is a versatile forward who can stretch the floor and rebound at a high level,” Taylor said. “We look forward to what she can bring to Connecticut on the court and in our community.”
Smith suffered a patella tendon rupture in December and will be unlikely to play in the 2023 WNBA season. She was drafted 16th overall out of Louisville in the 2022 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks and averaged 2.6 points in 10.2 minutes per game as a rookie.
“Kianna is a player that gives us depth in the backcourt for the future,” Taylor said. “Kianna’s shooting and scoring capability will be welcomed in our organization. We look forward to her recovery and return to play.”
The Sun will have All-Stars Brionna Jones and Alyssa Thomas as their two staples moving forward, but the roster around them now has a lot of question marks, just a few months after advancing to the 2022 WNBA Finals.
