Kelsey Plum Reportedly Could Land With Sparks as Part of Blockbuster WNBA Trade

A WNBA insider dropped a blockbuster trade that's seemingly in the works, which involves several superstars.
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) warms up before game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces guard Kelsey Plum (10) warms up before game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals against the New York Liberty at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

There are several big name WNBA players who could on the move this offseason.

Of course, this is always the case when it comes to free agency. But this season, a major trade could be the catalyst.

The first domino in this offseason saga to fall occurred in December, when Seattle Storm star guard Jewell Loyd reportedly requested a trade out of the franchise that drafted her with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 WNBA Draft.

There has been a lot of speculation about where Loyd's best fit would be, and which teams she's most likely to end up at. And now there seems to be a very strong indication after WNBA insider and Chicago Sun-Times reporter Annie Costabile dropped a bombshell report on January 25.

"Every free agency period, one move serves as the catalyst for all others in the WNBA," Costabile wrote.

"This year, that move is a three-team trade that would send Jewell Loyd to the Aces, Kelsey Plum to the Sparks and assets to the Storm. Multiple league sources familiar with the proposed trade have indicated that until it’s finalized, other moves will not be made.

"The problem at hand is getting the trade over the finish line, which at the current moment appears to hinge upon packaging the right pieces for Seattle," Costabile continued.

The fact that Aces superstar Kelsey Plum — who also appears likely to be traded from the Las Vegas Aces this offseason, regardless of whether it's in exchange for Loyd — is included in this deal is fascinating.

While this is pure speculation, one would imagine that the "problem at hand" Costabile alluded to would be the Storm's desire for the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, which currently belongs to the Los Angeles Sparks.

Given the talent available in the 2025 WNBA Draft, it's understandable that Los Angeles could be hesitant to trade that pick away. But if doing so means they get a veteran superstar like Plum, that could be enough incentive to convince them to do so.

It seems there's still more to come from this story.


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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.