Ahead of the 2026 WNBA season, Kelsey Plum rejected a $ 1.4 million supermax contract from the Los Angeles Sparks, choosing to instead sign a $999,999 deal to give the franchise more salary-cap flexibility. Then once the season began, she quickly proved her value by averaging 23.9 points per game in just 12 appearances before an injury sidelined her.
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So with her veteran experience, elite scoring ability and a team-first mindset, Plum became one of the most sought-after names ahead of the WNBA trade deadline. Yet despite league-wide interest, a deal wasn’t finalized until the final hours before the deadline. According to ESPN reporter Kendra Andrews, the Sparks’ demand was the biggest reason why, as she noted during her appearance on The Women’s Hoops Show.
“I think the thing with the Kelsey Plum trade is – there were a couple of teams that had been thrown out as contenders or viewed as favorites to land her, and this is something that came together a little bit later in the deadline process… I was told from some other teams – ‘the Sparks just want a lot, and we’re not willing, as great as Plum is. She is a game-changing, franchise-changing player with what we have and where we’re at in the season. I don’t feel comfortable shipping all of that out for something that’s not guaranteed to last more than 14 more games.'”
“And as this trade came later on in the process… did the Sparks kind of say, ‘Okay, you know what, we do have to lower the price a little bit’ because if there’s a greater chance that she walks in free agency and we get nothing back, we have to make sure that we get something back. So we see that come together a little bit later, late at night, and right before bedtime.”
Although Kelsey Plum took less than what was offered to her, she signed that contract just for a year. That means once the 2026 season was over, she would have to be re-signed. But a report by The Athletic’s Annie Costabile on July 29th revealed that she was unlikely to re-sign in Los Angeles once she entered free agency. So instead of letting her walk away and get nothing in return once the season was over, the Sparks decided to trade one of the league’s biggest stars mid-season.
The Golden State Valkyries, Dallas Wings and Washington Mystics were all viewed as potential landing spots for Plum. But as Andrews explained, the Sparks’ asking price caused several teams to back away from negotiations. Even ESPN insider Ramona Shelburne reported on this before the trade.
“They’re asking for the world. It doesn’t look like she’ll move unless anybody’s willing to meet that price.”
Phoenix held on for long enough to get a deal. Hours before the trade deadline, the Mercury acquired Kelsey Plum in exchange for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick, ending days of speculation about Kelsey Plum’s new team for the remainder of the 2026 season.