HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) -The Connecticut Sun traded starting forward Taj McWilliams-Franklin to the Los Angeles Sparks Wednesday for center Erika De Souza and the 12th pick in this year’s college draft.

The Sun also announced that they have signed Kristen Rasmussen from the Phoenix Mercury to a three-year contract.

A five-time All-Star, the 6-foot-2 McWilliams-Franklin has averaged 12.4 points and 7.5 rebounds a game during her eight years in the league. She had been with the franchise since its inception as the Orlando Miracle in 1999. She was the 32nd pick in the 1999 draft by Orlando, after having played three years in the now-defunct American Basketball League.

The 6-foot-5 De Souza, from Brazil, is averaging 6.4 points, 3.3 rebounds and about 13 minutes a game for Ros Casares in the FIBA Euroleague. She was the Spanish League’s player of the year last season and led Universitat de Barcelona to the finals. She played for Los Angeles in 2002.

Sun coach Mike Thibault said McWilliams-Franklin told him it was time for her to move on. Thibault said the trade would be good for her family life because one of her daughters will be attending school in Arizona. He would not disclose other details of their conversations.

“This is a tough day for us because she’s been a huge part of our success,” Thibault said.

But he noted that McWilliams-Franklin, 36, is probably a few years away from retirement, and the Sun will be getting youth in return with De Souza, 24, and the draft pick.

He called De Souza, who signed a one-year contract, one of the best young centers in the world.

Details of her contract and Rasmussen’s were not disclosed.

“I think it was important for us to look to the future,” Thibault said.

Asjha Jones, a 6-foot-2 forward out of the University of Connecticut, is expected to replace McWilliams-Franklin in the starting lineup, Thibault said.

Rasmussen, 28, also a 6-foot-2 forward, averaged 4.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and nearly 27 minutes a game last year with Phoenix. She also shot .429 from 3-point range.

The Sun had the best regular season record (26-8) in the WNBA last season, but a championship again eluded them. They lost in the deciding game of the Eastern Conference finals to the rival Detroit Shock after having won the conference title the previous two years but coming up short in the league finals.

It was supposed to be the Sun’s year in 2006. They won a league-high 12 games in a row and had four All-Stars, the most valuable player in the All-Star game and the coach of the year.

But key players got injured. Nykesha Sales, who averaged 13 points per game during the regular season, never recovered her shooting form after missing 12 games. She scored just 25 points in the playoffs.

Katie Douglas, Connecticut’s scoring leader and the team’s best perimeter defender, played against Detroit in the conference finals despite breaking her foot in the first round of the playoffs, severely limiting her mobility, especially on defense.

After the team was ousted from the playoffs last season, Thibault said there would be changes because teams that don’t win championships should explore ways to improve themselves.

This year’s WNBA season runs from May 19 to Aug. 19. The Sun open their season at Washington on May 19, and will face Los Angeles in their home opener on May 26.

AP-ES-02-21-07 1640EST