Kelsey Plum’s blockbuster deadline move to the Phoenix Mercury may have come a little too late for the Mercury to save their season. While many experts see it as a high-risk gamble by a team holding a 12-20 record, with a soon-to-be unrestricted free agent, one WNBA legend thinks the trade represents the chance for Plum to build a perennial championship contender.

Speaking on the Court Vision podcast, five-time WNBA All-Star Angel McCoughtry made it clear that she thinks Phoenix should do whatever they can to make the guard feel like she belongs with them as a long-term piece.

“Nothing’s been the same really. Yeah, they won a championship, but Jewell Lloyd hasn’t played individually like we know how she should be in that system, and then KP now is trying to find a home,” she said, speaking about Plum’s situation since her departure from the Las Vegas Aces.

“If this situation works and it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it, guys, because she had a dynasty in Vegas that we broke up. Let’s give her a new dynasty that she deserves and belongs to be with. So now it’s up to Phoenix to make this a sale.”

For McCoughtry, Plum’s move to the Mercury is about restoring what she lost when she left the Aces. Instead of focusing on the team’s chances this season, she argued that the organization has a chance to convince Plum it is committed to chasing championships beyond this season.

“Even if we don’t win this season, we are trying to win a championship. We’re showing you that we want to win now and that we’re trying to build for next season,” McCoughtry added.

Phoenix is already seeing encouraging returns from its newest member. During her debut as part of the Mercury, Plum came off the bench and scored 20 points on 60% shooting in 21 minutes as they beat the Chicago Sky, 106-101, where she scored the clutch game-winning three. In the aftermath, she expressed happiness with the reception from her new teammates.

“It’s been a crazy 48 hours but to be received like that by my teammates, from the staff, from the organization, I’m just super grateful,” she said. “I can’t say how thankful I am to go out there and compete tonight.”

However, the win itself is just one part of a larger picture. Phoenix is currently 6.5 games behind the Washington Mystics for the #8 seed and could very well miss the playoffs this year, especially now that they’ve another game, this time against the Atlanta Dream.

To make things worse, Plum is an unrestricted free agent in the summer. Meanwhile, ESPN reported that an insider source has revealed to them that she still intends to go through with the full free agency process, so Phoenix needs to convince her that staying is the best option.

Regardless of whether Kelsey Plum ends up in Phoenix or elsewhere across the league, Angel McCoughtry’s assessment is clear: any team that wants her needs to show Plum it can compete for a championship.