The Los Angeles Sparks traded All-Star guard Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury ahead of the WNBA's trade deadline on Sunday, August 2, in the headline move of a relatively quiet deadline period across the league.
In exchange, Los Angeles received guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round draft pick and a 2028 second-round draft pick, according to reporting from Yahoo Sports and ESPN. The deal marks just the fourth time in WNBA history that an All-Star has been traded during the middle of a season.
Plum, a veteran guard known for her scoring and playmaking, had been the subject of trade speculation in the days leading up to the deadline as the Sparks weighed roster direction for the remainder of the season and beyond. Her move to Phoenix adds a proven scorer to a Mercury team looking to strengthen its backcourt for a playoff push.
The trade was one of two notable deals in a deadline period that ESPN's grading coverage described as busy relative to recent years despite the league's expanded, 18-team footprint. On July 31, the Toronto Tempo and Connecticut Sun completed an earlier trade sending forward Aneesah Morrow to Toronto in exchange for the returning rights to Maria Kliundikova and a 2028 second-round pick.
League-wide, the deadline arrived amid a season shaped by continued expansion and a new collective bargaining agreement, with front offices generally opting for measured moves rather than a wave of blockbuster trades. Plum's deal stood out as the exception, reshaping the backcourt picture for both Los Angeles and Phoenix down the stretch.
What's next: Plum is expected to join the Mercury roster immediately as the team pushes for playoff positioning, while the Sparks will integrate Akoa Makani and evaluate their draft capital as they plan for the 2027 season. Both teams' new-look rosters will be tested in the WNBA's stretch run over the coming weeks.
