Less than 24 hours before the 2026 WNBA trade deadline, a five-time All-Star just changed teams, but don’t expect it to shake up the league as much as some might hope. The Los Angeles Sparks sent Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick. Plum is now teammates with Alyssa Thomas on the Mercury, a squad that was the 2025 WNBA Finals runner-up and desperately wants another deep postseason run.
Mercury’s Risky Bet: Is Plum Enough to Turn the Tide?
Phoenix is clearly swinging for the fences here, but you gotta wonder if it’s too little, too late. After a Saturday afternoon loss to the New York Liberty, the Mercury slipped to 12th place in the WNBA standings with a dismal 11-18 record. That’s a tough look for a team that made it all the way to the Finals just last year. Adding Plum is a splash, sure, but she’s walking into a tough situation, especially with her impending unrestricted free agency. There’s a real chance she might not even be with the Mercury when the 2027 season kicks off. And get this: the Sparks, Plum’s former team, are also described as “disappointing” and are even below Phoenix in the standings. Talk about moving from one tough spot to another!
Sylvia Fowles’ Shadow Looms Large Over Plum’s Arrival
The big question everyone’s asking: could Plum’s move even come close to the impact Sylvia Fowles had in 2015? In WNBA history, Fowles is the only player traded mid-season who actually influenced a title. Back in late July 2015, after sitting out the first half of the season because her trade request wasn’t granted by the Chicago Sky, Fowles landed with the Minnesota Lynx. She didn’t just help them win the franchise’s third title, she was named Finals MVP. Two seasons later, Fowles added another title, another Finals MVP, and a regular season MVP to her incredible resume. She’s now an assistant coach for the Portland Fire, and you’ll see her on the sidelines when Plum’s former team, the Sparks, take on the Fire this Sunday. The article says it’s “far fetched” that Plum could ever sniff that kind of mid-season impact, and honestly, given Phoenix’s current standing, it’s hard to argue. Other blockbuster rumors, like the speculation around Napheesa Collier, seem to have been just that: speculation.
While the WNBA world watches to see if this Plum trade changes anything for Phoenix’s dim postseason hopes, our Seattle Storm also had a tough night, falling 89-98 to the Atlanta Dream. The grind is real out there in the league.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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