Kelsey Plum Trade Packages and Landing Spots for Los Angeles Sparks Star

The WNBA may be on the verge of the biggest in-season blockbuster trade in league history.

On Tuesday, The Athletic's Annie Costabile reported that Kelsey Plum, who signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Sparks last offseason, isn't expected to re-sign with the team in free agency. 

Valkyries Beat's Marisa Ingemi also said league sources expect Los Angeles to move the 31-year-old before Sunday's trade deadline after receiving calls from multiple teams.

If that happens, Plum would be one of the best players traded in the middle of a WNBA season. The challenge is figuring out what she's actually worth. Any team acquiring her would be getting fewer than 15 regular-season games and a playoff run before she hits unrestricted free agency. 

Combined with Los Angeles' lack of leverage, that could result in a lighter return than a superstar player would typically command. 

With that in mind, here are the teams that make the most sense and the trade packages that could realistically get a deal done for Plum.

Golden State Valkyries

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Tiffany Hayes

The Trade: Golden State acquires Kelsey Plum for Tiffany Hayes, Justė Jocytė, Nadia Fingall and a 2027 first-round pick

If Plum is traded over the next week, there's a strong chance Golden State will be the team making an all-in push for the 31-year-old guard.

The Valkyries enter the second half of the season at 19-8 after winning nine of their last 10 games before the All-Star break, leaving them just three games behind the No. 1 seed.

As good as Golden State has been, its roster is currently built more for regular-season success than playoff basketball. The Valkyries overwhelm teams defensively, win the turnover battle and generate a ton of threes. But their biggest weakness is the lack of a true go-to scorer who can consistently create efficient offense.

That flaw has shown up most late in games. Golden State's 98.2 offensive rating in the clutch this season ranks No. 12 in the league and easily the worst among playoff teams.

Plum could be the missing piece that pushes the Valkyries into legitimate title contention. Over the last two seasons, no player has averaged more clutch points per game (3.8), and she's done so while posting an elite 59.5 percent true shooting.

Plum isn't just an elite shot creator with the ball in her hands. She's also one of the league's most dangerous off-ball players, thanks to her innate feel for off-ball movement, willingness to screen and ability to knock down shots coming off movement.

That versatility gives Golden State even more flexibility within its scheme. When Plum played more of her natural combo guard role in 2025, she shot 38.8 percent on catch-and-shoot threes. The year before, in her final season with Las Vegas, she shot 38.1 percent, according to Synergy Sports.

Golden State also has the defensive infrastructure to cover for her weaknesses on that end. Veronica Burton is a fantastic point-of-attack defender, Gabby Williams is the best wing defender in the world, and Kiah Stokes has been the best rim protector in the league on a per-minute basis. 

There's also plenty of familiarity here. Plum played under Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase for three seasons when she was an assistant with the Las Vegas Aces from 2022 to 2024.

If Los Angeles decides to move Plum, Golden State can put together a package with the best combination of young talent and draft capital. The Sparks would likely begin negotiations by asking for Janelle Salaün or Kaitlyn Chen, but with Plum on an expiring contract, there's not much leverage for the Sparks to demand that.

A more realistic package could center around Tiffany Hayes, Justė Jocytė and a late first-round pick. Rookie big Nadia Fingall, 27, is also in the deal for salary-matching purposes.

Jocytė, the No. 5 pick in the 2025 draft, has only played 58 minutes across eight games for Golden State, but remains an intriguing prospect. At just 20 years old, she has an advanced feel as a pick-and-roll playmaker with the ability to score both on and off the dribble.

It's unclear what direction the Sparks will take with their team build after parting ways with general manager Raegan Pebley earlier this month, but getting younger and accumulating assets should be a priority. Jocytė may never be a good enough athlete to reach her ceiling, but her skill level and processing makes her the type of upside swing worth betting on.

The biggest question for the Valkyries isn't whether they should pursue Plum, it's whether they should do it now or wait until free agency. Ownership has given the front office a five-year championship mandate, so if Golden State believes this roster is already close enough to win a title, making an aggressive move now could be worth the price.

Washington Mystics

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Georgia Amoore

The Trade: Washington acquires Kelsey Plum for Georgia Amoore (or Cotie McMahon) and a 2028 first-round pick

It would be a surprise if Plum ends up anywhere other than Golden State, but the most interesting alternative is the Washington Mystics. 

The Mystics, one of the youngest teams in WNBA history, have blown past expectations this season. At 15-12, they hold the No. 8 seed, but are actually closer to No. 4 Dallas than they are to No. 9 Portland.

They are on pace to be the first team since the 2004 Minnesota Lynx to make the playoffs while sporting the league's worst offensive rating, according to Yahoo Sports' Nekias Duncan.

The only reason Washington has been able to overcome its offensive limitations is because of a stifling defense and its unbelievable fourth-quarter heroics. Add Plum to that group, though, and the Mystics suddenly become a dynamic team on both ends.

Washington has generated just 0.68 points per possession on pull-up jumpers this season, the worst mark by any WNBA team over the last three years. Plum, on the other hand, has averaged 1.27 points per possession on pull-up jumpers in her 12 games this season—the best mark by any player since Synergy tracking began in 2010.

If Washington decides to get involved, it has both the cap space and draft assets to make a deal work. The Mystics could build a package around Cotie McMahon, Georgia Amoore and/or Cassandre Prosper, along with their own 2028 first-round pick. They also wouldn't have to touch either of the first-round picks they own from Chicago.

However, the move only makes sense if Washington believes it can re-sign her in free agency and views the combination of Plum and a potential top-three pick in the 2027 draft as enough to move into win-now mode. 

Just imagine a starting lineup with Plum, Sonia Citron, JuJu Watkins (or Madison Booker), Kiki Iriafen and Shakira Austin. Even then, Hannah Hidalgo next to Plum would be pretty sick, too.

From Los Angeles' perspective, though, none of those rookie-scale players are quite as enticing as Jocytė. A deal between the Mystics and Sparks probably only becomes realistic if Golden State decides not to pursue Plum or refuses to include Jocytė or Chen in negotiations.

Dallas Wings

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Arike Ogunbowale

The Trade: Dallas acquires Kelsey Plum for Arike Ogunbowale, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick

Hear me out: If the Dallas Wings want to go all-in on offense, what if they traded Arike Ogunbowale and draft capital for Kelsey Plum?

It's a tough sell in the middle of a season where Dallas is already playing so well, but Plum is essentially a much better version of Ogunbowale.

Plum is the best (non-Olivia Miles) driving guard in the world while also being an elite scorer both on and off the ball. Ogunbowale, meanwhile, has been one of the WNBA's least efficient drivers and is a far streakier scorer. Ogunbowale is the better defender, but neither are true positives on that end, so the gap isn't large enough there to make a difference.

The odds of this happening? Maybe three percent, but it's fun to imagine.

Just picture a Plum-Jessica Shepard pick-and-roll with Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd flying off screens. Or put Bueckers in the action while Plum and Fudd make stuff happen off the ball. That's three players with ridiculous gravity surrounding one of the greatest playmaking bigs the game has seen.

From the Los Angeles side, this is where things get complicated. It's hard to imagine the Sparks having much interest in taking on the second year of Ogunbowale's contract when they're already committed multi-year deals to Dearica Hamby, Ariel Atkins and Erica Wheeler. 

For Dallas to get a deal done here, it may take both of L.A.'s 2027 first-rounders—its own and the one acquired from Las Vegas in the NaLyssa Smith trade last season.