WNBA Rumors: Insider States 3 Teams Are Interested In Kelsey Plum Ahead Of Trade Deadline
· Yahoo Sports
Kelsey Plum has emerged as the biggest name to watch ahead of the WNBA trade deadline on Sunday, August 2, at 3 p.m. ET.
According to a new report, at least three teams have inquired about the Los Angeles Sparks guard as the front office weighs whether to move her rather than risk losing her for nothing in free agency this offseason.
Visit afrikasportnews.co.za for more information.
Madeline Kenney Says 3 Teams Are Interested in Kelsey Plum Ahead of Trade Deadline
Plum, a five-time WNBA All-Star nicknamed “Plum Dawg,” signed a one-year, $999,999 deal to return to Los Angeles for the 2026 season.
She’ll hit unrestricted free agency at season’s end, and reports have indicated she doesn’t intend to re-sign with the Sparks.
That could be a big part of why the front office is reportedly working the phones before Sunday’s deadline rather than letting her walk for nothing.
Plum hasn’t played since June 21 because of a lower left leg injury — an absence that has now stretched to more than a month and cost her a trip to the 2026 All-Star Game in Chicago, where Kahleah Copper was named her replacement.
Before going down, though, she was putting together arguably the best season of her career: 23.9 points per game (a career high), 6.4 assists, and 2.2 rebounds while shooting a career-best 52.7% from the field and 38.3% from the three-point line.
She returned to full practice for the first time in five weeks on Thursday, which will certainly raise her price tag on the trade market.
The Sparks, meanwhile, are reeling. Los Angeles has dropped six straight games and sits at 10-17, good for 11th in the league standings. It’s a rough stretch that already cost general manager Raegan Pebley her job earlier this summer.
With the playoffs increasingly out of reach, L.A. is reportedly exploring deals that would bring back valuable assets rather than watching Plum leave in free agency empty-handed.
Part of the expectation that she won’t re-sign, according to reports, is that she wants to be in a genuine win-now situation.
That’s where the Plum sweepstakes come in.
New York Post reporter Madeline Kenney reported that the New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, and Atlanta Dream have all thrown their hats in the ring, though New York’s talks have reportedly cooled.
“The Liberty are among the teams that have thrown their hat in the Kelsey Plum sweepstakes ahead of Sunday’s WNBA trade deadline… Other teams include the Mercury and Dream, sources said… New York’s conversations involving Plum have since stalled.”
For the Liberty, the appeal is obvious. New York is already loaded, and Plum, who ranked second in the WNBA in scoring before her injury, would make an elite offense even scarier.
A potential lineup of Sabrina Ionescu, Plum, Leonie Fiebich, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones is the kind of offensive firepower that would be nearly impossible to game-plan against.
Atlanta’s interest centers on need. The Dream could use another proven bucket-getter to pair with their young core, and Plum’s shot creation would give them a different look late in games.
Likewise, Phoenix’s case might be the most pressing. The Mercury sits several games back of the final playoff spot and will likely need a near-perfect stretch to get in.
Adding Plum alongside Kahleah Copper, Alyssa Thomas, and DeWanna Bonner would instantly push Phoenix into tier-one contender territory, and her gravity as an off-ball shooter would open up driving lanes for the rest of that veteran core.
Plum herself addressed the trade speculation, choosing her words carefully.
“The thing about professional sports is it’s business,” she told reporters. “At the end of the day, people have to do what’s best for them, and I respect that. And I’m not taking anything personal. For me, I’m going to be where my feet are.”
She added that, regardless of the noise, she plans to suit up for the Sparks on Sunday even if that means playing under a minutes restriction as she works her way back from injury.
In any case, this isn’t Plum’s first time at the center of trade speculation. She originally arrived in Los Angeles via a blockbuster three-team trade with the Las Vegas Aces and the Seattle Storm that also sent Jewell Loyd to the Aces.
She re-signed with the Sparks on a one-year deal on April 12, setting up exactly the kind of pending free-agency scenario now driving Sunday’s speculation.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.