Buescher, Maiga-Ba leave the Monarchs
Cap issues prevent Sacramento from matching their deals.
By Melody Gutierrez - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, March 10, 2007
The WNBA season is months away, but the Monarchs still lost Friday.
Erin Buescher, the 2006 WNBA Most Improved Player, and Hamchétou Maïga-Ba were lost to free agency, general manager John Whisenant said.
"They got high-dollar contracts we couldn't match for various reasons," Whisenant said.
Buescher is headed for San Antonio, Maïga-Ba to Houston.
The biggest factor was the multiyear deals the players, restricted free agents, received. The WNBA's hard salary cap for this year will be $728,000 per team, with players making between $32,400 and $93,000 depending on years in the league. Neither the Monarchs nor the WNBA release specific salaries.
Whisenant said he needed to keep room under the salary cap for the WNBA draft April 4 and because franchise player Yolanda Griffith and veteran Ticha Penicheiro have yet to re-sign. Guard Kara Lawson signed a three-year deal in February.
Whisenant said he could have kept either Buescher or Maïga-Ba for another season but the contracts of several starting players must be addressed next year. Nicole Powell and Rebekkah Brunson will be restricted free agents after this season.
"It would have handicapped our future," Whisenant said.
Buescher signed a three-year deal with the Silver Stars, who finished 13-21 last season. She had a career-high scoring average of 9.7 points, averaged 3.9 rebounds and led the WNBA with a field-goal percentage of 53.7 in 2006.
Maïga-Ba played all five of her WNBA seasons with the Monarchs. She signed a two-year deal with the Comets, who finished 18-16 last season. The Monarchs knocked them out of the Western Conference semifinals.
"We wish them the best of luck," Whisenant said.
The Monarchs open training camp in April and play their first exhibition game May 11 in Seattle.
Cap issues prevent Sacramento from matching their deals.
By Melody Gutierrez - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PST Saturday, March 10, 2007
The WNBA season is months away, but the Monarchs still lost Friday.
Erin Buescher, the 2006 WNBA Most Improved Player, and Hamchétou Maïga-Ba were lost to free agency, general manager John Whisenant said.
"They got high-dollar contracts we couldn't match for various reasons," Whisenant said.
Buescher is headed for San Antonio, Maïga-Ba to Houston.
The biggest factor was the multiyear deals the players, restricted free agents, received. The WNBA's hard salary cap for this year will be $728,000 per team, with players making between $32,400 and $93,000 depending on years in the league. Neither the Monarchs nor the WNBA release specific salaries.
Whisenant said he needed to keep room under the salary cap for the WNBA draft April 4 and because franchise player Yolanda Griffith and veteran Ticha Penicheiro have yet to re-sign. Guard Kara Lawson signed a three-year deal in February.
Whisenant said he could have kept either Buescher or Maïga-Ba for another season but the contracts of several starting players must be addressed next year. Nicole Powell and Rebekkah Brunson will be restricted free agents after this season.
"It would have handicapped our future," Whisenant said.
Buescher signed a three-year deal with the Silver Stars, who finished 13-21 last season. She had a career-high scoring average of 9.7 points, averaged 3.9 rebounds and led the WNBA with a field-goal percentage of 53.7 in 2006.
Maïga-Ba played all five of her WNBA seasons with the Monarchs. She signed a two-year deal with the Comets, who finished 18-16 last season. The Monarchs knocked them out of the Western Conference semifinals.
"We wish them the best of luck," Whisenant said.
The Monarchs open training camp in April and play their first exhibition game May 11 in Seattle.