The Sparks look set to fully enter another rebuild.
Kelsey Plum’s arrival in Los Angeles was supposed to help guide LA into the next era of winning. Instead, it further highlighted the flaws in the front office. With the team mired in yet another losing season, they have made the decision to move Plum ahead of the deadline, trading her to the Mercury, according to Shams Charania and Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
Plum was brought to the Sparks via trade in the 2025 offseason as part of a three-team deal that saw them send out the No. 2 pick, which became Dominique Malonga, who was an All-Star in her second season with Seattle. The deal was mostly a reaction to falling out of the No. 1 pick in the draft lottery, which would have allowed them to draft Paige Bueckers.
Instead, the team swung big for a deal that never really worked, through no fault of Plum’s. After an All-Star campaign in her first season, she played at an All-WNBA level this season before suffering an injury. The Sparks struggled to fill the hole left by Plum and faltered, losing nine of the 11 games including six in a row on either side of the All-Star break.
It was during the latter stages of that losing streak that rumors began to circulate that Plum, who signed a one-year deal last offseason, would not re-sign with the franchise. In an uncommon move, the front office acknowledged its failures this season and noted it would be open to deals at the deadline. With Plum unlikely to return and having a tremendous season, it made sense for both sides to find a deal.
This live story will be updated.
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