The Sparks made a big gamble in trading the No. 2 pick for Kelsey Plum ahead of the 2025 WNBA Draft. It looks set to be a bet that backfires badly.
After missing the playoffs last season and flailing to a 10-16 record before the All-Star break, the Sparks could be set to lose Plum to free agency. While Plum did re-sign with the franchise this past offseason, it was only a one-year deal and, as things stand, it could be her final year in Los Angeles, according to Annie Costablie of The Athletic.
Plum
signed a one-year deal valued at $999,999 in free agency, but the sense from sources around the league, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not cleared to comment publicly on the matter, is that the 31-year-old guard does not intend to re-sign with the Sparks as a free agent. Both Plum and her agent, Zack Miller of WME Basketbal, declined to comment to The Athletic on her plans.
At 31 years old, Plum doesn’t have a lot of time to wait for a team to become a contender and LA looks very far from title contention. With the general manager recently fired and a team with many veterans who are not panning out, it seems more likely the team is headed for another reset this upcoming offseason rather than building toward a title.
The natural expectation would be for trade discussions to be had with the deadline approaching rapidly on Aug. 2. However, also according to Costabile, the franchise has not had any notable trade talks yet.
The franchise fired former general manager Raegan Pebley earlier this month, and assistant GMs Zach Knowlton and Nate Nielsen have been filling the role on an interim basis.
The Sparks haven’t engaged in meaningful trade talks involving Plum, according to multiple high-level team executives around the league.
The WNBA does not operate like the NBA when it comes to trade, largely because the league has a hard cap. While the NBA has a luxury tax and aprons above the salary cap, the WNBA has none of that, and teams can not exceed the salary cap.
As a result, it’s harder to match contracts exactly and make deals during the season. However, it’s not impossible and trades have come with increasing regularity in recent seasons.
In any scenario where a team is six games under .500 and has a 31-year-old All-Star point guard on an expiring deal, they should be fielding offers. No matter how difficult it is to make a deal, you have to at least find out if the player has value.
The problem with the Sparks could also be that the front office is led by the two assistant GMs rather than a single figurehead, which likely further complicates matters.
The Sparks’ gamble for Plum has failed pretty badly through no fault of her own. Plum was an All-Star last season and was playing at an All-NBA pre-injury this season.
There’s an exit where both sides can at least salvage something. Whether they do will be decided in the coming week.
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