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Chennedy Carter Suspended Indefinitely by Dream for Conduct Detrimental to Team
July 6, 2021
The Atlanta Dream suspended Chennedy Carter indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team.
Carter logged 5:34 on the court in Sunday's 118-95 loss to the Las Vegas Aces. Spencer Nusbaum of The Next reported Carter and another Dream player had a verbal exchange in the first quarter.
One question the Dream faced coming into the season was how they'd spread the ball around their backcourt. They had Tiffany Hayes coming back and selected Aari McDonald with the No. 3 overall pick to join a unit that already included Carter and Courtney Williams.
Nicki Collen's departure for Baylor, 11 days before Atlanta was set to open the season, only complicated matters.
Carter hasn't found herself pushed down the rotation. The 22-year-old is averaging 14.2 points and 3.3 assists, and her usage rate has fallen only slightly from 31.9 percent to 26.5 percent, according to Basketball Reference.
The Dream selected the former Texas A&M star with the No. 4 pick in the 2020 draft. That they would suspend her—indefinitely, no less—is bound to raise questions about her future with the team.
There are only 144 roster spots to go around in the WNBA, which makes it difficult for a team to carry a player who's not producing or one who is causing problems. Lauren Cox was selected one pick ahead of Carter, and the Indiana Fever have already moved on from her.
In the event the Dream feel they have no choice but to jettison Carter, they'd likely have some suitors ahead of the Aug. 21 trade deadline.
The 5'9" guard is an explosive scorer who averaged 22.5 points over three years with the Aggies. Her electric offense has largely carried over to the next level. She dropped 35 points in her sixth career game.
Losing Collen put Atlanta behind the eight ball before the team even took the floor in 2021. Now, an already rough season is getting even worse with Carter's suspension.