Former UConn women’s basketball star Kia Nurse has a new WNBA home, as the Los Angeles Sparks traded for the 27-year-old guard on Wednesday.
Nurse was sent from the Seattle Storm to the Sparks along with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, in exchange for a first-round pick in 2026. The move frees up salary cap space for Seattle as it looks to make a big move in free agency.
The former Huskies star averaged 5.9 points and 2.3 rebounds in just under 20 minutes per game in 2023, her lone season in Seattle. She spent the first three seasons of her WNBA career with the New York Liberty before moving to Phoenix in 2021.
For her career, Nurse is averaging 9.7 points and 2.7 rebounds in 24.7 minutes per game. She was an All-Star starter in 2019.
“I am excited that we were able to acquire Kia and welcome her to our Sparks family,” Sparks head coach Curt Miller said in a release. “Kia is a versatile veteran guard who can play multiple positions and brings a toughness and physicality that will fit in perfectly with our team.”