Why Kelsey Plum Reportedly Passed on Supermax Contract with Sparks in 2026 WNBA Free Agency

Four-time WNBA All-Star Kelsey Plum is returning to the Los Angeles Sparks after agreeing to a one-year, $999,999 contract, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.

Plum could've signed for up to $1.4 million. Taking a little less gives L.A. more flexibility to bolster the roster. The team has agreed to deals with fellow stars Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby, with Alexa Philippou reporting Hamby will earn more than $1 million annually.

With a hard cap in place, WNBA teams have to be diligent about the dollar figures for their top players. Having Plum take $400,000 less can go a long way.

Plum won a pair of titles with the Las Vegas Aces and established herself as an elite scorer across seven seasons there. She was ready for a change of scenery by the time the 2025 offseason arrived, though.

"I think that every year you come back and you're playing on a great team, you're willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes," Plum said in August on Bird's Eye View, the podcast from WNBA legend Sue Bird (via Callie Fin of the Las Vegas Review Journal). "But I think there's a point where you start to feel underappreciated. I needed a fresh start personally, I needed a fresh start professionally. And I felt like my growth was kind of capped in Vegas."

One downside of being on a team with A'ja Wilson is that you're destined to be the second banana at best. Wilson is on a trajectory to be the greatest ever, having earned a record-setting fourth MVP.

Plum also had to share the spotlight in Las Vegas with Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young, two others with multiple All-Star appearances on their resumes.

Although she was a key cog in the Aces' success, it wasn't a total shock when the southpaw was ready to be the No. 1 option and lead star on a new team.

That's what the Sparks provided for her. Plum averaged 19.5 points and a career-high 5.7 assists, and her 25.4 percent usage rate was higher than all but one of her years with Vegas, per Basketball Reference.

No longer being on the floor with Wilson, Gray and Young did have some drawbacks as opposing defenses could focus more attention on Plum. Her three-point percentage (35.5) was a career low.

In addition, the Sparks missed the playoffs by two games while the Aces lifted their third title in four years. Jewell Loyd, Plum's replacement, stepped up in the Finals as Las Vegas swept the Phoenix Mercury.

The fact she's re-signing with the Sparks is evidence that Plum doesn't regret her choice last winter.

Los Angeles' fortunes could make a turn for the better as well considering Cameron Brink is fully recovered from the ACL tear that caused her to miss the first half of this past year.

It will take a lot more for L.A. to be a serious contender, but the franchise is trending in the right direction.