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Good morning! Another eventful week in the WNBA. Coming up today:
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🗣️ Reeve’s response
🏀 Plum blockbuster
🏙️ New NCAA eligibility rule
Serious Matters: Reeve responds to Cunningham’s comments
The WNBA has never been too far from culture wars throughout its existence, especially in recent years as the league has exploded in popularity. After Fever guard Sophie Cunninghamexpressed her opinion that transgender girls don’t belong in youth sports, the W has once again become an inadvertent political prop in a larger conversation.
Cunningham’s comments have led to small rallies of a few dozen people at the last three Indiana Fever road games (in Seattle, Portland and Minnesota). That rally size includes people in favor of Cunningham’s position and counter-protesters, who have also come out to support the inclusion of transgender athletes. The pregame protests have been mostly civil. However, Storm co-owner Celeste Keaton was fined and suspended for five games after last Tuesday’s contest, when two girls sitting courtside in support of Cunnigham said Keaton cursed at them and called them insane.
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Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve has been the most prominent voice in opposition to Cunningham. Reeve spoke for nearly five minutes Saturday about the importance of inclusion and taking exception to the narrative of transgender athletes being the biggest problem facing women’s sports. While wearing a shirt that read “Trans kids belong,” Reeve even had a pregame conversation with Cunningham on Sunday, and said they discussed how to use their platforms.
The common thread among everyone speaking out this week was that the WNBA prides itself on being a safe space for everyone. So what does that look like in practice? Peaceful protest is lawful anywhere in the U.S., no matter the message. But a league with a large population of queer players and fans has a different level of comfort when it comes to opinions that favor the exclusion of LGBTQ+ community members.
The Fever have been under the spotlight ever since Caitlin Clark arrived in the W two years ago. There is a weight to that, but one the Fever embraced; they went into 2025 saying “every game is a home game” and treated the season like a concert tour. Now, the attention that is following the team — and specifically Cunningham — feels heavier, and more of a burden.
Clark wasn’t available to the media for the first three days after the protests started. Even if Cunningham claims this isn’t a distraction for Indiana, there was a weird, tense energy in the building when I was in Portland, not the excitement that tends to accompany a Fever crowd, even on the road.
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The WNBA has an opportunity to show some leadership and take control of a conversation that is being overtaken by outside actors. While allowed, there is no reason for WNBA games to be the site of demonstrations that espouse anything but inclusion.
Blockbuster: Plum shows out in Mercury debut
Despite our high hopes for an active trade season, the noise heading into Sunday’s deadline turned out to be mostly sound and fury. But there was one major transaction, as an active All-Star was traded for a second consecutive season; this time it was Kelsey Plum.
Plum’s exit from Los Angeles (11-17) was expected considering the Sparks’ free fall during her injury absence — they ended a six-game losing streak Sunday in Portland — and the sense around the league that she would not re-sign in L.A. in 2027. What wasn’t exactly expected was that Plum would move to Phoenix, a team behind the Sparks in the standings.
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The Mercury (12-19) are taking a big swing,sending a first-round pick and a good young player in Monique Akoa Makani to Los Angeles for a two-month rental on Plum that is unlikely to even result in a playoff appearance, with the team seven losses back of the No. 8 seed. It’s the kind of “pre-agency” more common in the NBA, where teams out of postseason contention trade for a player ahead of their free agency to get a head start on signing them during the offseason.
General manager Nick U’Ren — who has said Phoenix was “coveting” Plum for some time — also said it was important to get her into the Mercury’s facilities and have her understand the organizational dynamic as early as possible.
Phoenix certainly doesn’t believe its season is over. Plum had as good of a debut as possible yesterday against Chicago, shooting perfect from the field in the first half and hitting the game-winning 3-pointer in the final minute (it pushed her over her minutes restriction by one, but who’s counting?). This is a group that believes it is playing for the postseason, even if that means the Mercury have to win out over their final 13 games.
It’s an interesting coincidence — or perhaps it isn’t, you decide — that the two front offices who completed one of the biggest midseason trades in recent memory both have strong NBA ties. U’Ren cut his teeth with the Golden State Warriors and both of the Sparks’ interim GMs only joined the WNBA in 2026 after long NBA tenures, and moving an expiring contract is the type of deal that frequently gets done on the men’s side.
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Whatever forces conspired to get Plum to Phoenix, circle your calendars for Aug. 11 when she returns to Los Angeles (albeit at USC’s home arena since Crypto.com Arena is otherwise occupied by singer Benson Boone). The Sparks don’t have much incentive to tank because they’ve already racked up too many wins over the past two seasons to improve their lottery odds; no matter how amicable of a split this was with Plum, there will be some heightened emotions in the building that night.
Fast Breaks
🔄 Speaking of deadline deals: There was only one other move made last week. Aneesah Morrow was tradedfrom Connecticut to Toronto for a 2028 second-round pick and the rights to Maria Kliundikova.
🪽 The Dallas Wings are also getting a new home in 2027, and it’s much bigger than their current one.
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🙏 The WNBA issued a mea culpa after promoting a video featuring a wager between Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese over a Wings-Dream contest.
🇼 The Lynx own the league’s longest win streak, and the second-longest belongs to the upstart Mystics. More on what both teams are doing well in this week’s power rankings.
🎙️The “No Offseason” podcast crew breaks down the Cunningham situation, the trade deadline and Sabreena’s latest power rankings. Enjoy wherever you get your podcasts.
🗳️ Last week’s poll results: About 62 percent of voters picked the Bay Area to host the 2027 WNBA All-Star Game. Kudos to the intrepid reader who wrote in to suggest the International Space Station over the three provided options.
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5-In-5 Rule: How new NCAA rule can affect WNBA
The NCAA recently announced a rule that would grant five years of eligibility to athletes within a five-year window, starting with the graduating high school Class of 2023. That could significantly diminish the 2027 WNBA Draft class, if players like Madison Booker, Hannah Hidalgo and Mikaylah Williams decide to play in college for a fifth year rather than jump to the WNBA. (Don’t worry, I’m not forgetting JuJu Watkins — she already had the option for a fifth year as a medical redshirt.)
Like everything the NCAA does, this ruling could get tied up in lawsuits and change by the time the 2027 draft rolls around. But if you’re wondering why the Mercury were willing to part with their first-round pick for a flier on Plum, rest assured that the uncertainty about who would be available on draft day was part of the calculus. Plus, the Mercury haven’t really built through the draft since selecting Brittney Griner in 2013, but that’s a story for a different day.
Last week, a judge in Colorado granted an injunction that will allow the high school Class of 2022 to play a fifth year, throwing a further wrinkle into the eligibility question. Bella Fontleroy, who signed a training contract with the Dream in 2026, is now in the transfer portal to play one final college season. Other players who went undrafted by the WNBA could find their way back to the NCAA, too — players like Maggie Doogan or Brooklyn Meyer.
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Given the efforts of former NBA player Amari Bailey to return to college or Charles Bediako going back to Alabama after playing in the G League (the NBA’s developmental league), would it be surprising to see a developmental player like Tonie Morgan or Kara Dunn petition for a fifth season? Truthfully, seeing some of these big names return to college basketball would make me even more excited for what already figures to be an excellent 2026-27 season.
Meet The … 🥁🥁🥁
Cleveland Sirens!
In case you didn’t believe that “The Odyssey” was the biggest pop-culture phenomenon of the year, let me introduce you to the newest WNBA team set to debut in 2028: the Cleveland Sirens.
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OK, so team president Allison Howard’s time in Los Angeles (when she crossed paths with director Christopher Nolan) wasn’t the deciding factor in the new team name — Lake Erie was the true inspiration — but what’s not to love about a women’s sports franchise naming itself after a mythological creature who lures men to their demise?
Even as someone who expected that the Rockers would be back in Cleveland (I’m already 0-for-1 a week into these second-half league predictions), I have heard the call and am fully behind the Sirens. As for the logo, however? That might need to go back to the drawing board.
Let us know what you think of the Sirens’ logo and any changes you’d make below or at NoOffseason@theathletic.com.
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This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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