Was Los Angeles’ Sparks star Kelsey Plum Traded? Everything We Know

The Sparks’ surprising move had WNBA fans talking over the weekend.

Kelsey Plum | Elsa/Getty Images

The WNBA has been making headlines over the past few weeks, and over the weekend, the league caught fans’ attention again when it was reported that the Los Angeles Sparks traded Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury. Scroll on to learn everything we know about the situation so far.

Was Los Angeles’ Sparks star Kelsey Plum traded?

For the uninitiated among us, Plum is a true standout of the league with countless accolades under her proverbial belt. After a dominant college career at the University of Washington, she was selected as the first pick in the 2017 WNBA draft by the San Antonio Stars (now known as the Las Vegas Aces). There, she helped the team win two consecutive championships until 2023, when she was traded to the Sparks. And as if that’s not impressive enough, she’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist, having earned top podium placement with Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Games and the 2024 Paris Games.

2026 also happens to mark the five-time All-Star’s 10th year in the WNBA; however, this weekend, Sparks’ fans were stunned to learn that the California-based franchise had traded the player to the Mercury for fellow guard Monique Akoa Makani, as well as a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick, as reported by ESPN.

“Kelsey is one of the league’s most dynamic players,” Nick U’Ren, the Mercury’s general manager, said in a statement, per CBS Sports. “She is a fierce competitor with a winning mentality who impacts the game on both ends of the floor ... We have wanted Kelsey here for a long time, and we’re excited to finally bring her to Phoenix as we continue to build on our foundation.”

How are fans reacting to Plum’s trade?

This news came just under the league’s official trade deadline on Sunday, Aug. 2, at 3 p.m. ET. And Plum wasn’t the only surprising move for the league, as the Connecticut Sun also traded forward Aneesah Morrow to the Toronto Tempo.

Following the trade, Plum took to Instagram, where she thanked the Sparks in a caption while expressing her excitement to join the Mercury. Meanwhile, the Mercury celebrated its latest addition by sharing multiple posts across social media. In the comment section, fans of the franchise welcomed the new member with open arms.

“This is like getting prime DT, same grit!” One fan proclaimed, “Love this. go Merc!!!!!!”

“The BEST move you could have done @phoenixmercury! Welcome @kelseyplum10🔥🔥🔥, be ready, is HOT! lol,” a commenter quipped.

“Wonderful news. Our next season looks better already,” one user cheered.

“Once again, Mercury proves to be the best franchise in the league,” another concluded.

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