Sparks trade Kelsey Plum to Mercury in blockbuster move

Kelsey Plum is on the move.In the early hours of Sunday morning, the Sparks traded the five-time All-Star guard to the Mercury in exchange for Monique Akoa Makani, Phoenix’s 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick, ESPN first reported.

Plum became the league’s top trade target after word got out that she didn’t plan to re-sign with Los Angeles after this season.She came to an agreement with the Mercury late Saturday night ahead of Sunday afternoon’s trade deadline.

It’s only the fourth time in WNBA history that an All-Star has been traded midseason.Plum’s time in Los Angeles was brief after the team traded their No.2 pick in the 2025 draft for her during the offseason in what was a push to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Yet, the Sparks fell two games short of the playoffs in 2025 and this season Plum has been sidelined since June 21 with a lower leg injury.She has watched the Sparks (10-17) fall to No.11 in the league standings, five and a half games behind the eighth-place Liberty.

Plum, 31, was also shown interest from the Dream and Liberty ahead of the deadline, The Post’s Madeline Kenney reported Saturday.Yet, her conversations with New York stalled.

The Sparks wanted to move Plum somewhere they would get something big in return before she moves on to free agency after the 2026 season.Plum has averaged 23.9 points this season while tallying 2.2 rebounds and 6.4 assists in 12 games.Prior to the trade, Plum planned to be ready to play in the Sparks’ next game, which is scheduled to tip off 30 minutes after Sunday’s 3 p.m.

deadline against Portland.It’s unknown if she will be available when the Mercury (11-19) travel to Chicago on Monday....