Looking Back: Lindsey Harding Spends Season In Phoenix

Lindsey Harding was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury, but she was acquired by the Minnesota Lynx in a draft-day trade. Despite not starting her career with Phoenix, she did suit up for them later.

June 27, 2010; Washington, DC, USA; Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi (left) drives to the basket around Washington Mystics guard Lindsey Harding during the first half at the Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images

Lindsey Harding had a nice WNBA career. She spent her career playing with teams such as the Minnesota Lynx, the Washington Mystics and the Atlanta Dream.

Harding was a valuable contributor to all of her teams, and she went on to do great things after her playing career.

While she started her playing career with the Lynx, she was drafted by another team. Harding was the first pick of the 2007 WNBA Draft, and she was drafted by the Phoenix Mercury. The Mercury finished the previous season with a record of 18-16. Despite having a better record than some of the other teams in the lottery, Phoenix ended up with the first pick that year.

The Mercury drafted Hardin, a guard out of Duke, but they did something shocking. They traded her for Tangela Smith. Smith was a member of the Charlotte Sting, but the franchise folded. As a result, she went to the Lynx in a dispersal draft, but she was moved before suiting up with them.

Sep 23, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Sparks guard Lindsey Harding (20) in the first half of game three of the Western Conference Semi-Finals against the Phoenix Mercury at Staples Center. Phoenix won 86-75. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

In her rookie year with the Lynx, Harding averaged 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists and a steal. She spent another year with Minnesota before she was traded to the Mystics for draft picks. She spent two years with Washington, and had her best season with the team. She averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 assists, four rebounds and 1.2 steals.

After her time with the Mystics, she played for the Dream, the Los Angeles Sparks and the New York Liberty. Then, she had a homecoming of sorts.

Harding signs with Phoenix

Harding started the 2016 season with New York, but she switched teams later on. She played five games with the Liberty, but she was waived. Shortly after, she signed with the Mercury. Harding appeared in 21 games with Phoenix and came off the bench in all of them. She served as a backup for Diana Taurasi, and she averaged 3.9 points, 2.1 assists and 1.7 rebounds.

In that time, Harding's best game was against the San Antonio Stars. She had 16 points, three assists, three rebounds and a steal. She was the Mercury's second leading scorer in that game, as DeWanna Bonner led the team with 33 points.

Phoenix was Harding's last stop in the WNBA, and she spent a bit of time overseas before getting into coaching. She was an assistant for the Sacramento Kings, she later coached their G-League team, and then, she became an assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Harding got a chance to play for the team that selected her, but it came years later. It was a special ending and some would say it was a ful

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