While the Phoenix Mercury was celebrating acquiring Kelsey Plum, the resulting 1-4 record from her performances shows that they might have rejoiced too early. The Mercury have seen no real improvement in their game since Plum was added to their roster in early August, leaving them at the bottom of the WNBA standings.
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Underdog WNBA posted on X a summary of the stats after Plum joined the Mercury. The post mentions that since the trade happened, the Mercury have accrued a record of 2-8, while for the games Plum played in, the record stands at 1-4. This is not a great result for a team that gave up two picks from the 2027 and 2028 WNBA Drafts to acquire Plum.
Even after trading for the five-time WNBA All-Star, the Mercury have ended up with a 13-26 record, the fourth-worst in the league. This is after they were already knocked out of playoff contention by a 99-89 loss to the Atlanta Dream. They stand ahead of only the Seattle Storm, the Connecticut Sun, and the Toronto Tempo.
Kelsey Plum was part of a blockbuster trade, as she left the Sparks after one season for the Mercury. Plum’s brief stint with the Sparks began with another blockbuster. In February 2025, Los Angeles acquired her in a three-team deal with the Las Vegas Aces and Seattle Storm, with Jewell Loyd going from Seattle to Las Vegas and Plum leaving the Aces for L.A.
The Sparks gave up the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and center Li Yueru, receiving Plum, the No. 9 pick and Seattle’s 2026 second-round selection in return.
Phoenix’s move for Plum was therefore her second major trade in less than two years. The Mercury sent Cameroonian guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick to Los Angeles for the five-time All-Star, a substantial investment in a player who can enter unrestricted free agency after the 2026 season. Phoenix nevertheless saw Plum as an established scorer and veteran presence for its hoped-for 2027 push.
Phoenix acquired Plum after an injury-shortened stretch with Los Angeles. She had been sidelined since June 21 with a lower-left-leg injury and had appeared in only 12 games for the Sparks before the trade.
Despite the limited availability, Plum was averaging career highs of 23.9 points and 6.4 assists per game when she was healthy. Her Mercury debut came after roughly six weeks away, so the team’s early results with her represented a particularly limited sample.
Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren opened up about the trade in a press conference on August 3, posted to the Mercury’s YouTube channel.
“Kelsey’s one of the most impactful players in our league. We’ve coveted her for a long time because of her skill, because of her toughness, because of her character, because of her work ethic.”
“So for those reasons I’m so excited to add her to our current group, and we hope we’re building something that she’ll be a part of for a long time,” he added.
While the team may have had plans for Plum, they have not borne fruit this season. Kelsey has suited up for five games for the Mercury so far, and the team has lost four of them. In the first game Plum played for the Mercury, she started off the bench and contributed a whopping 20 points, second only to Kahleah Copper, who bagged 31. She shot a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line and even contributed four assists. The Mercury went on to win that matchup, but it would be their last win with Kelsey on the floor.
The next four games that Kelsey played ended in disaster for the Mercury. They lost every single game, including two games to the Washington Mystics. They even lost 75-72 to the Sun, who are currently below Phoenix in the league standings.
In the games she has played for Phoenix this season, she has averaged 15.8 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 rebounds. This is a far shot from her averages during her time with the Sparks. During the 12 games she played for Los Angeles this season, Kelsey Plum averaged 23.9 points, 6.4 assists, and 2.2 rebounds per game.
The Mercury seem to have gotten the worse end of the already risky deal. While they hope for a better season for Kelsey Plum in 2027, they were faced with another major hurdle, as one of their longest-tenured players left the team.
Amid Kelsey Plum Worries, Phoenix Mercury Loses DeWanna Bonner
With a record of 13-26 so far in the 2026 season, the Mercury have no hope of making the playoffs. But the team still wanted their star forward to have an opportunity to make a title charge in what could be her last season of professional basketball. To allow her to play for a different team, the Mercury and Bonner came to a mutual agreement to have her contract bought out.
This allowed Bonner to negotiate terms with one of the eight teams that have secured a playoff berth this season. Head coach Nate Tibbetts elaborated on the parting in a media address.
“This was done out of respect for DB. This is an opportunity for her to chase the title in possibly her last season.”
Bonner has given everything she had to the Mercury. She was drafted by them in 2009 with the fifth overall pick and has remained with the team ever since. She was part of the championship-winning squad in her very first season and led them to another in 2014. She put up a post on Instagram on August 27 thanking the Mercury.
“To my teammates, coaches, staff, and the fans who became family. THANK YOU. All the love you’ve shown me and my family is something I’ll carry with me forever. This place will always hold a special place in my heart. No matter where this journey takes me, I’ll never forget the love, support, and every memory we shared here. Forever grateful. Forever Love.”
Bonner has been a six-time WNBA All-Star and a three-time WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year. The 39-year-old has played 12 seasons for the Mercury, playing 396 games and scoring a massive 5,474 points.
Now, as she moves on from the Mercury, DeWanna Bonner has signed with the Atlanta Dream. She will be a part of the playoff team that will play in the 2026 WNBA Championship. Bonner will share the roster with Dream stars such as Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, and Angel Reese.
The Dream are currently fourth in the league standings, while Bonner’s previous team, the Mercury, are stuck in 12th. While Phoenix may not have a shot at the title this year, Bonner may help the Dream clinch the ultimate trophy!