(PHOTO CREDIT: Brian Babineau / NBAE via Getty Images)
Honestly, we’re all still trying to process this.
In a deal that shook up the WNBA world, two former #1 picks left the only teams they have known in their careers for fresh starts in the upcoming 2025 campaign.
L.A. SPARKS (you know, the team that I cover) get Kelsey Plum, the #9 pick, and the Storm’s 2026 second round pick.
LAS VEGAS ACES get Jewell Loyd and the #13 pick.
SEATTLE STORM get Li Yueru and the #2 pick as well as the Aces’ 2026 first round pick.
ESPN broke the deal last night around halftime of the Chiefs/Bills AFC Championship game. Clever!
Let’s start with the Sparks.
Los Angeles had banked on winning the draft lottery but it did not go as planned as Dallas Wings had them lucky charms on that day. For a while, it was debated on whether the Sparks would take Kiki Iriafen from USC (even if the team has so many frontcourt players) or Olivia Miles from Notre Dame to fill a backcourt need. This will now be the Storm’s problem as they decided not to get a lead guard from the draft.
Enter Kelsey Plum.
Plum had a bit of a down year in 2024. But hey, anyone would take a three-time all-star that is a career .390 shooter from behind the arc and averaged 17.8 points and 4.2 assists a game last season. And of course, Plum is a winner as she won back-to-back championship rings with the Aces. She has the pedigree and the Sparks needed someone like her in the backcourt. She also reunites with former Aces teammate Dearica Hamby, who had a career year last season.
Kelsey Plum also apparently requested a trade out of Vegas after she was offered a core designation (which is basically like the NFL franchise tag where the team that cored the player can get exclusive rights). Plum had a rough personal year and going back closer to home in Southern California might be what she needs at the moment.
A potential starting line-up for the Sparks with Plum, Rae Burrell, Rickea Jackson, Hamby, and Cameron Brink/Azurá Stevens actually sounds pretty good. Plum can also mentor the mostly young roster of the Sparks, whose rebuilding process has now certainly accelerated (especially since they don’t have a first round pick in 2026). Free agency hasn’t even officially started yet but the playoffs could be a possibility now for these Sparks.
For the Storm, they’re kind of at a crossroads. They built their own powerful team in last year’s offseason with the signings of former Spark star Nneka Ogwumike and six-time all-star Skylar Diggins-Smith to play alongside Loyd and Ezi Magbegor. But the Storm were still ousted in the first round by the Aces. Then Loyd requested a trade after an investigation occurred with the team concerning harassment and bullying. With Ogwumike’s return uncertain along with the status of Gabby Williams (who joined after the Olympics and was given the core designation), they made the deal to acquire the Sparks center Li Yueru and the second pick.
It’s still a tough decision on what the Storm are going to do. They’re not tearing down the team by any means but they can certainly get ready for the future now with this pick (as well as the 2026 first round picks from the Sparks in the Kia Nurse/Rickea Jackson deal and the Aces) in their arsenal.
As for Li, there had been scuttlebutt that she wanted more playing time to show what she can do. We saw potential when she went for 19 points and 12 rebounds against the Mercury in the second-to-last game of the season. In the Paris Olympics, she averaged a double-double (17.7 points, 11.0 boards). Hopefully, the Storm can give her more playing time.
The Aces, who lost to the Liberty in the semis last season, will continue to stay in contention with a bit of a change to their core.
Loyd also didn’t have the best campaign in 2024. After winning the scoring title in 2023, she averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. Those are certainly excellent numbers but she shot a jarring .274 from behind the arc.
Playing alongside Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and A’ja Wilson will open up her game more. She won’t have to carry the load as much and, like Plum, a new scenery can do wonders. Let’s not forget that Loyd also has two championship rings of her own.
I feel it all makes sense for these teams. Sparks get a veteran scorer. The Storm’s future feels a bit more secure. And the Aces stay in contention.
More importantly, let’s hope the players are very happy in their new homes.
Rey-Rey is all over social media. He’s on Threads, Bluesky, and the vomit-inducing Twitter (I refuse to call it with a certain single letter). In the past, he covered the NBA and the Lakers. Then he covered the Sparks as a beat writer for the Sporting Tribune the last two years.