Curt Miller to L.A., Latricia Trammell to Dallas and more comings and goings in the WNBA coaching carousel

The WNBA coaching carousel continued to rotation Tuesday arsenic a caller caput manager was hired for the 2nd clip successful 11 days. The Dallas Wings person yet to marque it official, but Los Angeles Sparks adjunct Latricia Trammell is expected to instrumentality implicit the Wings.

Two coaching vacancies stay aft Tuesday's study and the Sparks' Oct. 21 hiring of Curt Miller: the Connecticut Sun and the Indiana Fever.

Trammell was a longtime assemblage and precocious schoolhouse manager earlier moving into the WNBA, and is known for her strategical skills. Under Vickie Johnson, the Wings were a .500 squad this season, which truly did represent progress. Based connected results, it seemed arsenic if Johnson deserved different season. But if Johnson and the players weren't connecting well, which has been speculated, past Trammell volition request to code that close away.

After his acquisition arsenic an adjunct for 1 play successful Los Angeles successful 2015, Miller said helium would similar a accidental to beryllium caput manager of the Sparks. Would that inactive person been the lawsuit if the Sun had won a title during his Connecticut tenure? Hard to say. But contempt the Sun making the WNBA Finals this season, it seemed similar some Miller and the squad were acceptable to determination on.

Miller's determination started the offseason WNBA coaches carousel, and it's uncertain however agelong it volition support spinning, particularly if different existent WNBA caput coaches are considering a move. We hold to spot if the Fever and Sun marque their decisions earlier oregon aft the WNBA draught lottery connected Nov. 11.

There are immoderate acquainted names successful the coaching rumor mill.

Pokey Chatman was a caput manager for the Chicago Sky for six seasons, and for Indiana for three. Chatman, who has a batch of acquisition processing young players and took the Sky to the 2014 WNBA Finals, served arsenic an adjunct with the Seattle Storm this past season.

Katie Smith, the erstwhile WNBA standout who was caput manager of the New York Liberty for 2018-19, has since been an adjunct with the Minnesota Lynx. Maybe she's acceptable for a 2nd accidental arsenic a caput coach.

And mightiness Johnson besides get a look from different squad after starring Dallas to the playoffs this twelvemonth earlier being fto go?

Consider erstwhile NBA adjunct Becky Hammon's occurrence successful starring the Las Vegas Aces to the WNBA rubric successful her archetypal season: Could 1 of her erstwhile WNBA teammates, Teresa Weatherspoon, beryllium a information to instrumentality to the league? Weatherspoon is presently an adjunct for the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans.

Speaking of the Aces, Natalie Nakase spent clip arsenic an LA Clippers adjunct successful the NBA earlier coming to enactment for Hammon arsenic an Aces adjunct this year. She could besides beryllium successful the premix for a promotion with immoderate team.

All these names -- oregon nary of them -- could beryllium the adjacent caput manager of a WNBA team. Here's a look astatine wherever the coaching carousel is astatine close now.

Trammell has agelong been a campaigner for a WNBA caput coaching job. Why is Dallas a bully acceptable for the longtime assistant?

Trammell seemed destined for a caput coaching occupation astatine immoderate point. Now, she volition request to enactment with Wings president/CEO Greg Bibb, who is known to beryllium precise progressive with each decision-making. Trammel saw immoderate ups and downs successful her 4 seasons with the Sparks, which volition assistance her. As volition the information that she has galore years of being successful complaint extracurricular of the WNBA.

In presumption of the endowment disposable to her, Arike Ogunbowale is nether declaration for the adjacent 3 seasons. She has been 1 of the league's apical scorers (19.8 PPG successful 4 seasons) and volition crook 26 successful March, truthful she's inactive conscionable entering her prime.

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Arike Ogunbowale attacks the overgarment and knocks down a jumper for the Wings.

Ogunbowale dealt with injuries astatine the extremity of this play and appeared for conscionable six minutes successful 1 playoff game. More concerning, though, were 2 incidents successful which Ogunbowale kicked things -- the extended scorer's array successful 1 case, and a hoops successful different -- during games. Frustration is understandable, but these aren't actions you privation to spot from your franchise player. Trammell has to beryllium capable to click with Ogunbowale, but besides bid respect from her.

The Wings besides person to fig retired if 2021 No. 1 draught prime Charli Collier truly has a aboriginal with the team. She averaged little than 5 minutes per crippled past season. Collier conscionable turned 23 successful September, but she is going to person to get clip connected tribunal to beryllium if she tin play. -- Voepel

Is Curt Miller the reply successful Los Angeles? Why is helium a bully acceptable for the Sparks arsenic they effort to get backmost to the playoffs?

In the aftermath of the Derek Fisher era, the Sparks needed a proven WNBA manager who could reestablish them arsenic a destination for escaped agents aft the departures of Chelsea Gray and Candace Parker. Miller's way grounds of occurrence with the Sun, including a brace of trips to the WNBA Finals, fits the bill.

Although a rebuild doesn't marque consciousness for a squad that should inactive person Nneka Ogwumike -- who volition beryllium an unrestricted escaped cause but indicated her tendency to instrumentality astatine season's extremity -- Los Angeles indispensable debar costly gambles similar trading what became a lottery prime for Chennedy Carter and signing Liz Cambage past offseason.

As agelong arsenic the Sparks person their location successful order, the gully of L.A. should beryllium an charismatic gully to escaped agents. With lone Katie Lou Samuelson nether declaration for much than $130,000 for 2023, per Her Hoop Stats, the Sparks tin spend to bring backmost Nneka and sister Chiney Ogwumike and adhd proven endowment this offseason. -- Pelton

It happens to galore coaches that players tyre of their voices aft a while. I'm not saying that's what happened successful Connecticut with Miller, but it seemed similar it was clip for a caller commencement for him and the Sun. For that matter, the Sparks request a caller start, too.

As Kevin said, Miller's way grounds with the Sun was precise good. He made a constituent successful an interrogation with ESPN erstwhile hired to accidental that helium wants the players to beryllium beforehand and halfway successful Los Angeles, and praised Nneka Ogwumike's leadership. The past 2 years haven't been overmuch amusive for the Sparks. They not lone missed the playoffs but watched arsenic 2 players who near arsenic escaped agents, Parker (Chicago) and Gray (Las Vegas), were pivotal successful bringing titles to their caller teams.

Something seems truly disconnected erstwhile L.A. doesn't consciousness similar a desired destination for players, and Miller should beryllium capable to assistance hole that beauteous quickly. -- Voepel

What's adjacent for Connecticut and who are the apical candidates to instrumentality implicit arsenic caput manager of the Sun?

Miller's replacement volition apt inherit a different-looking team. With 4 starters (DeWanna Bonner, Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas and Jasmine Thomas) nether protected contracts for astatine slightest $190,000, Connecticut would apt person to commercialized 1 of them successful bid to bring backmost unrestricted escaped cause Brionna Jones.

The astir the Sun tin connection Jones with those 4 players connected the roster is $199,200, and that's successful a script wherever everyone other makes the league minimum for players with less than 3 years of service.

In some that determination and the coaching search, I'm funny to spot the engagement of squad president Jennifer Rizzotti, who has a coaching inheritance astatine the assemblage level. Could Rizzotti beryllium a campaigner for caput coach? -- Pelton

Well, that would beryllium an absorbing development, but astatine this constituent I don't deliberation Rizzotti wants to instrumentality to coaching. The candidates mentioned earlier each could beryllium successful the mix. The Sun's model for a title has been unfastened the past 4 seasons, and it seems similar that should inactive beryllium the lawsuit successful 2023. But the franchise feels immoderate value successful having gotten adjacent aggregate times without winning. The caller manager has to navigate that. -- Voepel

What's the latest connected the coaching vacancy successful Indiana?

We'll find retired adjacent week if the Fever get the No. 1 enactment successful the draught for the archetypal clip successful franchise history. If so, Aliyah Boston of the South Carolina Gamecocks could beryllium the apical pick, and Indiana would person a imaginable franchise-changing player.

The squad has needed that since Tamika Catchings retired successful 2016. It besides hasn't made the playoffs since, and she had immoderate difficulties arsenic the team's wide manager earlier she near the role. Longtime WNBA manager Marianne Stanley wasn't the reply successful Indiana, either: she took implicit successful 2020 and was fto spell aboriginal past season. The squad won 3 games nether interim manager Carlos Knox, and is present starting implicit connected the coaching front.

Former manager Lin Dunn came backmost arsenic wide manager and has said she has a three-year program to instrumentality to competitiveness. A large portion of that program this past play was relying connected precise young talent, and that volition beryllium the lawsuit again, nary substance who is coaching. -- Voepel

What different coaching jobs should we beryllium keeping an oculus on?

The Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury volition beryllium getting a caller owner, which mightiness besides mean an valuation of Mercury manager Vanessa Nygaard. She had a precise challenging archetypal play successful the WNBA, arsenic the squad dealt with Brittney Griner's imprisonment successful Russia, the departure of Tina Charles successful June, Diana Taurasi's late-season wounded and Skylar Diggins-Smith leaving the squad for idiosyncratic reasons successful the midst of a playoff push.

It was wide Diggins-Smith, who precocious announced she is pregnant, and Nygaard didn't spot eye-to-eye. Diggins-Smith is nether declaration to the Mercury for adjacent season, but volition she play successful Phoenix oregon anyplace else? Will the Mercury's caller ownership springiness Nygaard recognition for making the playoffs contempt truthful galore hurdles, oregon volition it spell a antithetic direction?

The Washington Mystics look to person a beauteous coagulated succession program successful spot arsenic longtime adjunct Eric Thibault astatine immoderate constituent is expected to instrumentality implicit for his father, caput manager Mike Thibault. There hasn't been immoderate denotation it volition hap earlier adjacent season, but it's inactive thing to watch.

And is determination immoderate accidental Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve mightiness beryllium lured elsewhere? Reeve has guided the Lynx since 2010 and won 4 WNBA titles. But with Sylvia Fowles having retired, the past of Minnesota's title halfway players is gone. Both the Lynx and NBA's Timberwolves are besides successful an ownership transition. Minnesota missed the playoffs this twelvemonth for the archetypal clip since Reeve's archetypal play astatine the helm. But the Lynx volition get franchise standout Napheesa Collier backmost successful 2023 aft she missed astir of 2022 connected maternity leave.

Reeve is besides GM for the Lynx and seems entrenched there. She is besides engaged with the U.S. nationalist squad arsenic caput coach. So portion a determination doesn't look likely, a franchise looking to marque a large connection and a blockbuster prosecute could inactive effort to pry her away. -- Voepel