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Kara Lawson has decided to remain at ESPN during the late spring, where she is an NBA and college basketball analyst, according to Ben Standig of CSN Mid-Atlantic. In addition, she may officially retire later this year. Lawson is a 13-year WNBA veteran and spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons with the Mystics.
The announcement should not be a big surprise because Lawson was an unrestricted free agent and has not signed with any team as of the day of this post. She is also 35 years old and well past her prime. The Mystics' backcourt rotation for the Mystics includes a number of young guards returning like Tayler Hill, Bria Hartley, and Natasha Cloud. 2016 draft picks Lia Galdeira and Danaejah Grant are guards fighting for roster spots as well.
Bottom line, Lawson's absence and Armintie Herrington's departure due to her retirement will be missed from a leadership perspective, but this isn't a bad thing. Since the Mystics didn't make many moves this season on the trade or free agency front, this shows GM and Head Coach Mike Thibault's faith in his current crop of guards that they can fill in the void that Lawson and Herrington left behind.