WNBA Insider Indicates Kelsey Plum Wants to Stay With LA Sparks Long-Term After Trade
Over the weekend, there had been rumblings within the women's basketball world that a trade involving WNBA superstars Kelsey Plum and Jewell Loyd could be on the horizon.
Chicago Sun-Times reporter Annie Costabile reported on January 25 that a three-team deal that would send Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks was close to being done. The only hold-up was what the Sparks would send the Seattle Storm to finalize the exchange.
But the hold-up is now over, as Costabile reported on January 26 that the aforementioned deal was agreed upon, with the Sparks agreeing to give Seattle the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft along with 6'7" center Li Yueru.
This blockbuster deal alters the WNBA's landscape not only now, but also in the future. And an interesting note Costabile added shows that some of these superstars could want to stick with their new teams long-term.
"The core tag also gave Plum self-determination over where she ended up, which could indicate that she plans to remain with the Sparks beyond the 2025 season," Costabile wrote.
She later added, "Plum’s addition in Los Angeles answers a need in the Sparks backcourt, but some believe drafting Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles would have offered a better long-term answer. If Plum remains with the Sparks beyond the 2025 season — which was indicated to the franchise according to a league source — then her value exceeds any player the Sparks could have picked up with the No. 2 overall pick."
As reported yesterday, Jewell Loyd will be with the Aces next season and Kelsey Plum is heading to LA as part of a blockbuster three-team trade kicking off WNBA free agency. https://t.co/lkJVAAbzjb
— Annie Costabile (@AnnieCostabile) January 27, 2025
Given that Costabile's reporting has been spot on, the fact that she mentioned Plum's apparent desire to remain with the Sparks long-term twice in the article means she's likely quite confident this is the case.
While this deal can't be made official until February 1, it should start the domino effect of WNBA free agency chaos that's coming soon.
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.