Mercury Acquire Five-Time All-Star Plum From Sparks
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- Kelsey Plum was traded from the Los Angeles Sparks to the Phoenix Mercury just hours before Sunday's 3 p.m. ET trade deadline, marking only the fourth midseason All-Star trade in WNBA history.
- The Mercury sent Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick to Los Angeles; Plum had been the top trade target in the league leading up to the deadline.
- Plum has played only 12 games this season due to a lower-leg injury but was averaging a career-high 23.9 points and 6.4 assists on 52.7/38.3/80.6 shooting splits before going out, and the Sparks had listed her as 'probable' for Sunday before the deal.
- The Sparks (10-17, 11th place) fired general manager Raegan Pebley last month and are 5.5 games back of the final playoff spot; Plum had signed a one-year, $999,999 deal in the offseason and was not expected back.
- The Mercury (11-19, 12th place) still have Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper and are at risk of becoming just the second team in WNBA history to miss the playoffs the year after reaching the WNBA Finals.
- Akoa Makani started 16 games this season, averaging 9.4 points, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals, and started all 11 of the Mercury's 2025 postseason games.
Why it matters: Both teams are buried in the standings — 11th and 12th — making this a calculated gamble for a playoff push rather than a contender reload. Phoenix is betting Plum's elite scoring (23.9 ppg before injury) can lift a Finals-caliber core back into the postseason, while Los Angeles gets a young starter and future draft capital for a player on an expiring deal they were going to lose anyway.
