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Sources: Trade sends Loyd to Vegas, Plum to L.A.

Written by 
Published in Breaking News
Sunday, 26 January 2025 19:26

After a quiet first week of WNBA free agency, the first domino of player movement has fallen -- and it's a massive one.

In a blockbuster three-team trade, the Las Vegas Aces are acquiring Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd while sending Aces guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources told ESPN on Sunday, creating the first trade in league history involving multiple No. 1 overall picks.

The Storm are also acquiring the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft and forward Li Yueru from the Sparks, as well as Las Vegas' 2026 first-round pick, sources told ESPN. Los Angeles receives the 2025 No. 9 pick and a 2026 second-round pick from Seattle. The Aces will get the 2025 No. 13 overall pick from the Sparks.

Since the deal involves a sign-and-trade for Plum, it can't be made official until Feb. 1.

Plum entered the offseason as a free agent, an indication that her time in Las Vegas -- as part of the championship-winning core alongside A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray -- might be coming to an end.

By being cored by the organization, Plum's only way of changing teams was to get traded, but she had to sign off on her final destination. She joins L.A on a one-year deal hoping to be a Spark beyond 2025, sources told ESPN.

The vast majority of WNBA players -- including Plum and Loyd -- are anticipated to become free agents in 2026, ahead of the implementation of a new collective bargaining agreement that's expected to feature significant salary increases.

Loyd, meanwhile, still had one year left on her contract with the Storm, but news of her trade request came out after her allegations of harassment and bullying against the Storm coaching staff. That prompted an external investigation that concluded without finding any violations.

Plum and Loyd, both shooting guards, share similar trajectories as pros. They were both No. 1 overall picks -- Loyd in 2015 to Seattle; Plum in 2017 to San Antonio, which relocated to Las Vegas one year later. They both emerged as all-WNBA talent and perennial All-Stars, each winning a pair of championships with their respective franchises. They established their value on the international stage as Olympic gold medalists in Tokyo, where Loyd played 5-on-5 and Plum 3x3, and in Paris, where they were teammates as Team USA won an eighth-consecutive gold medal.

And they'd both spent their entire WNBA careers playing for the franchises that selected them -- until now.

Plum, who until last year held the NCAA women's basketball scoring record, joins a Los Angeles organization that hired a new coach this offseason in Lynne Roberts and is building around 2024 lottery picks Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, plus veterans Dearica Hamby and Azura Stevens. With a star of Plum's caliber in tow, the Sparks, historically one of the league's most iconic franchises, look well-positioned to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Loyd's arrival in Las Vegas will automatically help the Aces, who fell short of their three-peat bid last season, aim for their third championship in four years. A six-time All-Star and the WNBA scoring leader in 2023, Loyd will bring an additional perimeter scoring threat to a team already featuring three-time MVP Wilson, three-time All-Star Young and 2022 Finals MVP Gray.

Coming off a disappointing first-round postseason exit, the Storm move up in the draft and, picking second overall, could have the chance to select a player such as Notre Dame's Olivia Miles or USC's Kiki Iriafen. Seattle still has Skylar Diggins-Smith under contract, cored Gabby Williams earlier this month and will look to re-sign unrestricted free agent Nneka Ogwumike.

Sources told ESPN the Sparks were ultimately uncertain about who would even be available to be drafted No. 2 overall, which combined with the hope of bringing Plum in for multiple years, made it palatable to give up the lottery pick. Miles and Paige Bueckers, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick, are both considered top prospects, but both maintain their college eligibility for the 2025-26 season.

ESPN's Shams Charania, Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews contributed to this report.

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