Sparks trade Christi Thomas to Minnesota Lynx

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If you follow the Sparks, maybe you’ve heard that they traded backup center Christi Thomas to the Minnesota Lynx today in exchange for center Vanessa Hayden-Johnson.

Thomas, out of the University of Georgia, was drafted 12th overall by the Sparks in the 2004 draft. She played in 144 games and averaged 5.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in five seasons. Injuries have hampered her career, though, including a knee injury midway through last season.

Yet, while Thomas (6 feet 3, 185 pounds) was a fan favorite here in L.A., she never was the physical presence the Sparks had hoped for.

Hayden-Johnson, drafted seventh overall by the Lynx in the same draft, is a very physical player at 6-4 and 240. She played in 30 games in 2008, averaging 6.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. It also was her best season from the field, connecting on 65 of 146 field-goal attempts, or 44.5%. She sat out the 2007 season to give birth to her daughter, Zyon Brianna Johnson.

-- Debbie Goffa