The Golden State Valkyries have been one of the WNBA’s biggest surprises this season. They currently sit third in the overall league standings and are showing enough in their performances to be genuine title contenders. However, one decision by head coach Natalie Nakase may ultimately keep the championship out of their reach.
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According to The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant, the Valkyries, despite showing positive signs, made a mistake by not trying to sign Plum. Her theory is that Natalie Nakase, comfortable with where her team currently sits competitively, was unwilling to risk disrupting a balance that has been working well.
“I don’t look at this team and think that they have enough to compete with the Aces or the Lynx. I think they need some level of individual isolation scoring. A little bit more shooting, a little bit just more creative ability that they don’t quite have,” Merchant said on Tuesday’s episode of the No Offseason podcast
“And I think they’re going to regret this opportunity to get Kelsey Plum. I don’t look at what Phoenix gave up and think that is an overwhelming amount of stuff for Kelsey Plum.”
The Los Angeles Sparks traded five-time All-Star guard Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury in a blockbuster midseason deal, completed just hours before the WNBA trade deadline on Sunday. Plum was on a one-year contract with no intention of renewing, which meant Los Angeles could’ve lost her to free agency.
So they traded Plum for guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round draft pick, and a 2028 second-round draft pick.
According to Merchant, Natalie Nakase and Co. could’ve benefited from a star like Kelsey Plum on their roster. They hold a 21-9 record, sit comfortably in third place in the league standings, and boast the No. 1 defense in the WNBA. There is plenty to be encouraged by. But Merchant argues that defence alone will not be enough when October arrives, and the games start to matter most.
“Their offense could use a little bit of help. And Kelsey Plum, before she went down with an injury, in my opinion was the best offensive guard in the WNBA,” she said.
And the numbers certainly support Merchant’s argument. The Valkyries are currently scoring just 82.6 points per game, ranking 12th out of 15 teams in the entire league. That is a significant deficit for a team with championship aspirations. And it is precisely the kind of gap that a player averaging 23.6 points and 6.2 assists per game, as Plum was before her injury, could have gone a long way toward closing.
Instead, Plum is now a Phoenix Mercury player. And Natalie Nakase’s Valkyries are left to wonder whether the balance they were so careful to preserve will be enough when it matters most. Whether it was a risk worth not taking will only be known come October.