Sparks’ New Priority Raises Serious Concerns About Cameron Brink Fit
The Los Angeles Sparks went from a young rebuilding team that brought in two lottery picks in 2024 to a veteran-heavy team hoping to compete for a title in just two years. The Sparks traded for Kelsey Plum ahead of the 2025 season, signed Nneka Ogwumike this offseason, and added Ariel Atkins in a deal with the Chicago Sky.
Those moves have created opportunities for two Sparks youngsters. Rae Burrell was elevated to a starting role, and Rickea Jackson was traded to the Chicago Sky, where she is a focal point of the team’s offense. It has also come at the expense of Cameron Brink, though.
Brink came to the Sparks as the number-two pick in a stacked 2024 WNBA Draft and was expected to be a franchise centerpiece for years to come. Instead, she’s coming off the bench behind Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby, and barely played in the Sparks’ first regular-season game this year.
While Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said after the game that the Sparks need Brink and her defensive impact, Los Angeles may not be the best place for Brink anymore, now that the team is in win-now mode.
.@LASparks Lynne Roberts on Cameron Brink playing only 8:03 against the Aces@MirrorUSSports pic.twitter.com/JBBhF1rROJ
— Jarrod Castillo 🇵🇭 (@CastleofJays) May 11, 2026
Cameron Brink still needs time to develop
With Plum, Atkins, Ogwumike, and Hamby all on the same team—and considering the young players the Sparks gave up to build this core—the Sparks are officially in win-now mode (even if it didn’t look like that against the Las Vegas Aces). That doesn’t really fit Cameron Brink’s timeline.
Brink may be in her third year as a pro, but she hasn’t even played a full WNBA season yet. She missed the second half of her rookie season and the first half of her second season due to an ACL tear. So far, Brink has only appeared in 34 WNBA games and was either a rookie trying to adjust to her new surroundings or working her way back from a devastating injury.
This year should have been Brink’s first healthy WNBA season and a chance for a breakout year. Instead, she played only eight minutes in the regular-season opener against the Aces and didn’t take a single shot. She finished the game with three rebounds, three turnovers, and three fouls.
The Sparks have an incredibly thin margin of error this season, but a player with as little experience as Brink is going to make mistakes and can only learn if she gets enough opportunities on the court. That’s a tricky balance to strike for Roberts and her coaching staff.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.