SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 15: Kelsey Plum #10 of the Los Angeles Sparks reacts against the Golden State Valkyries in the fourth quarter during a Commissioner’s Cup game at Chase Center on June 15, 2026 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

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Megan Armstrong

By Megan Armstrong

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Two off-seasons ago, All-Star guard Kelsey Plum requested a trade from the Las Vegas Aces, with whom she'd won two WNBA titles, and was subsequently shipped to the Los Angeles Sparks in January 2025.

"I just remember thinking in that offseason, 'If you really are about it, and you really believe that you are as good as you think you are, and you really think you can impact winning at the highest level, there's only one way to find out,'" Plum told Sue Bird last summer.

Plum has done everything she can do to propel the Sparks to their first playoff appearance since 2020, but she can't do it alone, and the Sparks have made mind-numbing personnel decisions. As a result, Plum could be on the move again.

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"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," Annie Costabile reported for The Athletic. "Both Plum and her agent, Zack Miller of WME Basketbal, declined to comment to The Athletic on her plans."

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 15: Kelsey Plum #10 of the Los Angeles Sparks reacts against the Golden State Valkyries in the fourth quarter during a Commissioner's Cup game at Chase Center on June 15, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

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The WNBA trade deadline is Aug. 2, and Costabile identified Plum as a hot trade candidate, though "the Sparks haven’t engaged in meaningful trade talks involving Plum" as of yet.

Plum was the best scorer and all-around offensive generator in the WNBA for the first few weeks of this season, but injuries have limited her to 12 games so far this season. She sprained her ankle in late May and missed a week. She returned to play six games in June before suffering a lower left leg injury that has sidelined her since June 24.

Plum has not been injury-prone historically, however, so even if the Sparks don't trade her, she will have a robust market in free agency next offseason.

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