WNBA trade deadline: Three possible landing spots for Kelsey Plum as Los Angeles Sparks sit at crossroads
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- Los Angeles Sparks sit 10-17 and in 11th place — five games back of the final playoff spot — after an offseason they committed to a win-now approach by re-signing Kelsey Plum and Dearica Hamby, signing Nneka Ogwumike and Erica Wheeler, and trading Rickea Jackson for Ariel Atkins.
- Kelsey Plum has been limited to 12 games since June 21 due to injury, and The Athletic reports she does not plan to return to Los Angeles as an unrestricted free agent this winter, making her an obvious trade candidate ahead of the Aug. 2 deadline.
- Golden State Valkyries jump out as a fit because they rank first in defensive rating (100.9) but have no player averaging 15 points and are 13th in true shooting percentage (53.9%), though they have no cap space for Plum's $999,999 salary and would have to trade multiple players plus pick(s).
- Washington Mystics rank third in defensive rating (103.5) but 14th in offensive rating (100.6) and have nearly $2 million in cap space, plus draft capital headlined by the 2027 Sky pick swap, though backcourt help could undercut their slow rebuild aimed at next year's guard-heavy draft.
- Phoenix Mercury sit five-and-a-half games behind the final playoff spot and could be sellers after talks on six-time All-Star Alyssa Thomas went cold, but they have just over $850K in cap space and lack the young prospects or first-round picks to satisfy a steep Sparks asking price.
- Plum's pre-injury production — a career-high 23.9 points on 52.7/38.3/80.6 splits — would rank as the sixth-best single-season scoring average in WNBA history if she still qualified for the official leaderboard.
- Sparks coach Lynne Roberts told reporters Tuesday that 'everything has to be evaluated' after the team's disappointing first half, declining to discuss specific players.
Why it matters: The Sparks' willingness to flip Plum before losing her for nothing in free agency sets up a bidding war among three playoff-hungry or rebuilding teams whose championship or timeline calculations turn on whether they can absorb her expiring contract without surrendering picks or young talent. The Valkyries offer the cleanest fit but the hardest cap math, the Mystics have the assets but a West Coast player may not commit, and the Mercury can only make the dollars work if they're already sellers on Thomas or Copper.
