The WNBA trade deadline used to be a snooze-fest, but not anymore! Early Sunday morning, the Los Angeles Sparks dealt five-time All-Star guard Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury, and believe it or not, this kind of midseason All-Star swap has only happened four times in league history. This move completely changes the game for a deadline that’s always been an afterthought, making this season’s action feel different, more urgent.
This Plum Trade Is Absolutely Wild
Seriously, this Kelsey Plum trade is massive. We’re talking about a five-time All-Star! Before her leg injury sidelined her back on June 21, Plum was dropping 23.9 points a game. If she’d qualified for the official leaderboard, that would have been the sixth-best single-season scoring average in WNBA history. Phoenix scooped her up for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-rounder. It’s a huge haul for the Sparks, embracing a rebuild, and a big gamble for the Mercury, especially considering how rare these midseason All-Star moves are. You just don’t see talent like this move in the middle of a season in the W.
Why WNBA Deadlines Are Usually Snooze-Fests (Until Now)
So, why is this so wild? Usually, the WNBA trade deadline is quiet as a library. For years, you could basically skip checking the news on deadline day and miss nothing. It all comes down to a few core reasons that set the WNBA apart. First, there’s the hard salary cap, sitting at just $7 million this season. Teams can’t go over it by one single penny unless it’s a hardship exception, which makes financially executing trades far tougher than in leagues like the NBA or MLB, where they have soft caps or no caps at all. It’s a completely different financial ballgame, forcing teams to be super strategic.
Then there’s the smaller pool of teams. We’re talking 15 teams now, with over half making the playoffs, which still feels like a tight race for most. Compare that to the NBA or MLB, which both boast 30 teams. With 16 NBA teams and 12 MLB teams making the playoffs, there are naturally way more “sellers” in those leagues. For the vast majority of WNBA history, with only 12-14 teams and 8 playoff spots, the race often went down to the wire, meaning very few teams ever truly felt out of contention and ready to sell. Even if a team was struggling, the prospect of a guaranteed top lottery pick in a smaller league often meant they weren’t interested in blowing things up. Plus, trading draft picks is way more restricted here, unlike the NBA where picks are often the centerpiece of huge deals. The Plum deal wasn’t even the first this season; on Friday, the Connecticut Sun sent Aneesah Morrow to the Toronto Tempo for Maria Kliundikova’s rights and a 2028 second-round pick. This deadline is definitely breaking the mold and showing us a new era!
With the deadline hitting Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, there are only a few hours left to see if any other bombs drop. After this, teams can’t make trades for the rest of the season. Will we see another shocking move before the clock runs out? You know we’ll be glued to the news!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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