Sparks Trade All-Star Plum to Mercury Before Deadline
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- Los Angeles Sparks traded five-time All-Star Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick ahead of Sunday's trade deadline.
- The deal marks only the fourth midseason All-Star trade in WNBA history, per the source.
- Kelsey Plum has been sidelined since June 21 with a lower left leg injury, and her availability for Phoenix's Monday game at Chicago is unknown.
- Plum plans to enter free agency this offseason, though the source notes that remaining with the Mercury is not off the table.
- The Sparks (10-17) are mired in a six-game losing streak and have gone 2-9 without Plum, who averaged career highs of 23.9 points and 6.4 assists in 12 games.
- The Sparks are tracking toward a sixth straight playoff miss despite last offseason's win-now moves — acquiring Plum via the No. 2 pick and adding veterans Nneka Ogwumike and Ariel Atkins.
- The Mercury (11-19) sit 13 games out of first place and six games behind the eighth-place New York Liberty, but Plum joins a roster that reached last season's WNBA Finals.
Why it matters: The Sparks surrender a 23.9-point-per-game scorer to stockpile picks and a young player, conceding a likely sixth straight playoff miss after last offseason's win-now splurge. The Mercury, 11-19 and 13 games out of first, add a two-time champion with Finals experience — but Plum still plans to test free agency, so Phoenix is essentially buying a player whose long-term fit is unresolved.
