Plum to Valkyries? Morrow to Tempo? Moves to watch for ahead of WNBA trade deadline
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- Kelsey Plum has been sidelined by a lower left leg injury since June 21, is on a one-year $999,999 contract with the 10-17 Sparks, who fired GM Raegan Pebley on July 12 and could miss the playoffs for a sixth straight year.
- Golden State Valkyries (19-8) and Washington Mystics (15-12) are named as potential Plum landing spots — the Valkyries have the WNBA's best defense and coach Natalie Nakase, who previously worked with Plum on the Las Vegas Aces.
- Aneesah Morrow, the No. 7 pick in the 2025 draft out of LSU via DePaul, is averaging 11.1 points and 9.0 rebounds across 19 games for a Connecticut Sun franchise that is relocating to Houston next season.
- Toronto Tempo rank 13th in the WNBA in rebounding (31.3 per game) and the Phoenix Mercury rank 12th (31.5) — both are cited as potential fits for Morrow, who has missed nine games this season on a rookie deal with two years remaining.
- Betnijah Laney-Hamilton has played just 17 of the Liberty's 28 games, averaging 4.7 points on a $400,000 protected veteran contract, and hasn't appeared since July 12 — Dallas, Toronto, and Connecticut are floated as possible destinations.
- Skylar Diggins is on a $940,000 protected veteran contract through next season with the 9-18 Chicago Sky, has been out with a knee injury since July 3, and turns 36 on Sunday — the trade deadline itself.
- A "significant number" of players are on one-year deals after the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement was reached in March 2025, a factor the article says is shaping trade scenarios across the league.
Why it matters: Playoff-position teams like the 19-8 Valkyries and 15-12 Mystics must weigh rental additions against preserving draft capital and depth, while sub-.500 clubs like the 10-17 Sparks could recoup future assets by selling. With many players on expiring deals after the March 2025 CBA, the deadline doubles as a 2026 and 2027 free-agency preview — Plum alone could fetch a multiyear commitment if a buyer can verify her health.
