To understand how the Los Angeles Sparks have reached the point where they might move the best player on their roster, Kelsey Plum, before the Sunday WNBA trade deadline, we have to take a look back.
On Feb. 1 2025, the Sparks shocked the WNBA world by trading for Plum. It was a three-team deal, and the highest cost for the Sparks was losing the No. 2 pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft.
In the Sparks’ press release announcing the trade, governor and managing partner Eric Holoman and general manager Raegan Pebley said the move marked a new era of winning basketball.
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Holoman proclaimed:
Adding Kelsey signifies the start of a new era for our organization. She is an elite talent, a proven champion and an extraordinary person and leader. I can’t wait to see her impact on our organization on and off the court.
Pebely echoed:
Kelsey is truly one of one. She has won everywhere she’s played, transforming teams with her unique combination of skills, work ethic and leadership. Kelsey’s constant quest to be her best both inspires and holds everyone around her accountable to do the same.
But the results haven’t come. In 2025, the Sparks had a 21-23 record. Meanwhile, the other two teams involved in the Plum trade have had great success.
The Las Vegas Aces, who exchanged Plum for Jewell Loyd, won another title in 2025. And while the Seattle Storm had more immediate on-court success than the Sparks, going 23-21 and making the playoffs, their biggest benefit came via the No. 2 pick, which they used to draft Dominique Malonga, one of the most electrifying young bigs in basketball.
Now it’s 2026, and it’s more of the same for the Sparks.
They are 10-17 and on track to miss the playoffs for the sixth-straight year. This is the longest playoff drought in the WNBA and their worst in franchise history.
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In the WNBA standings, they find themselves surrounded by the two expansion franchises, the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. That’s a tough pill to swallow; these teams were just formed from scratch mere months ago and the Sparks are one of the WNBA’s original organizations.
Add in the context that the Sparks made win-now moves, namely bringing back Nneka Ogwumike and trading a young talent like Rickea Jackson in exchange for Ariel Atkins. Plus, Plum took a contract discount in order to accommodate LA’s major moves.
All that makes 2026 a disappointment.
The LA front office hasn’t said much publicly about the team’s below-expectations performance, but they took a strong action by parting ways with Pebley on July 12. At the time, the Sparks were 10-11. They haven’t won since and have lost six straight, making this the longest losing streak of the year.
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LA Times columnist Bill Plaschke recently voiced his opinion about the Sparks, suggesting they need to tank now and cut their losses by trading Plum, even if it hurts. Plaschke also got Farhan Zaidi, special advisor to Sparks owner Mark Walter, to speak on the record about about the situation.
Here’s what Zaidi said:
We pushed in a lot of chips this year, and we had good reason to do that, but the reality is it hasn’t gone as we’d hoped or expected. Now we have to be open for anything. Everything has to be on the table for us. We have to take a long-term perspective rather than focusing on the rest of the season.
Earlier this week, I put WNBA teams into tiers regarding their desire/need to make a trade. I had the Sparks stuck in limbo. At the moment, I thought they’d just kick the can down the road and likely clean house in the offseason.
That still might happen, but Zaidi’s words seem to indicate a desire to press the reset button now and not waste any more time, as Zaidi also said:
We have very smart fans, I don’t want to patronize them as to where we are. Our dedicated fans will understand if we have to take a step back to get to that championship level. I can step back if I feel like we’re building something.
I think it can happen quickly.
Deals are always hard to complete.
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So we’ll see if this trade smoke leads to anything or if the Sparks’ roster will remain the same when they take on the Fire on Sunday, with tip off scheduled a mere 30 minutes after the trade deadline expires.
Regardless, what is clear is the status quo will not remain for long. The Sparks have failed during this Plum era, just as they were failing for years before that.
Enough is enough. Real change is coming.
The only question now: When? Will it be before Sunday, or will it have to wait until the offseason?
Buckle up, Sparks fans, it’s about to be a bumpy ride.
