NFL
By: Joe Cardoso
The Deal
The Phoenix Mercury have acquired five-time All-Star Kelsey Plum from the Los Angeles Sparks ahead of Sunday’s 2026 WNBA trade deadline. In return, Los Angeles receives guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick.
The move ends an era that never was in Los Angeles for Plum, who joined the Sparks in a three-team blockbuster back in January 2025 that sent Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces. Plum was playing on a one-year deal worth just under $1 million and had already signaled she wasn’t planning to re-sign with the Sparks in free agency this winter. Rather than let her walk for nothing, Los Angeles chose to cash her in now.
Why the Sparks Sold
Los Angeles entered the deadline sitting at 10-17, with little realistic path to the postseason. Plum was, by a wide margin, the best trade chip on the roster she was putting up a career-best scoring average and had just made her fifth All-Star team. But with her decision to leave already reportedly made, holding onto her past the deadline risked getting nothing at all. Trading her now let the Sparks recoup future draft capital, which matters given how much they already gave up getting Plum in the first place including the pick that turned into rising star Dominique Malonga.
Why the Mercury Bought
Phoenix has spent the season fighting for a playoff spot, and adding a guard of Plum’s caliber is about as clear an “all-in” signal as a team can send. She gives the Mercury one of the league’s best shot-creators and floor spacers, plugging directly into a roster that already includes veterans locked in through 2027 and 2028.
The cost was real a future first-round pick and a promising second-year rotation piece in Akoa Makani but for a team trying to make a Finals-caliber push right now, that’s the kind of price contenders are often willing to pay.
Winners and Losers
Winner: Phoenix Mercury. They land a proven, high-volume scorer without disrupting their core, and they did it without mortgaging their near-term future. But I wonder is it too late for a run to the postseason for them? And how quickly will it take for the players to gel?
Winner: Kelsey Plum. She goes from a rebuilding team to a genuine playoff contender in the middle of the season the kind of change of scenery most players only get in free agency.
Mixed bag: Los Angeles Sparks. They avoided losing Plum for nothing, but the return is modest relative to what she’s produced this season. The bigger story for L.A. is what comes next as they retool around their remaining core.
Question mark: Monique Akoa Makani. She was a key contributor to Phoenix’s run to the 2025 WNBA Finals and now heads to a rebuilding situation in Los Angeles, where she’ll likely see an expanded role.
What It Means for the WNBA and Sparks
Star movement in-season is still rare in the WNBA, and this trade is a reminder of how much the new collective bargaining agreement and its bigger contracts is reshaping roster strategy. Teams on the bubble now have more incentive to buy aggressively, and teams out of contention have more incentive to sell before free agency, rather than risk losing a star for nothing. For Phoenix, the Plum trade is a statement: this team wants to compete now. For the Sparks, it’s the clearest sign yet that a longer rebuild is underway. My main questions are what happens if Plum walks at seasons end is this the worst trade in W history? Who’s next to leave LA? The roster is a mess, and they don’t seem to have a plan so burn it down to the studs.
