Kelsey Plum said Thursday she is not taking trade talk personally and plans to suit up Sunday at Portland, hours after the WNBA deadline closes
Kelsey Plum was asked Thursday about the possibility of being traded before Sunday's WNBA deadline, per Edwin Garcia of Silver Screen and Roll.
"I'm not taking anything personal. I'm gonna be where my feet are. I play for the Sparks. So on Sunday, I'm gonna suit up."
The deadline is set for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 2. Los Angeles plays at Portland that same afternoon, with tip-off scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT at Moda Center.
Plum has not appeared in a game since June 21, when the Sparks beat New York 98-97 at Crypto.com Arena. Three days later the team announced a lower left leg injury and said she would be re-evaluated in four weeks. She has missed 15 games since the start of the season, counting a right ankle sprain in late May that cost her three of them. Los Angeles has gone 3-12 in those games and 7-5 in the games Plum has played.
Plum was ruled out for Tuesday night's home game against New York, a [113-109 loss](TK — Sparks-Liberty recap, July 28) that dropped the Sparks to 10-17.
Annie Costabile of The Athletic reported Tuesday that the sense among sources around the league is that Plum does not intend to re-sign with Los Angeles as a free agent, and that the Sparks had not engaged in meaningful trade talks involving her. Marisa Ingemi of the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that league sources told her a trade before Sunday was most likely, and that the Sparks had taken calls from multiple teams.
Plum signed a one-year contract worth $999,999 with Los Angeles in free agency this past offseason, turning down a supermax offer worth $1.4 million. She becomes an unrestricted free agent this winter. So does Nneka Ogwumike, who signed with the Sparks this past offseason after two seasons in Seattle.
Through 12 games this season, Plum averaged 23.9 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 6.4 assists. She shot 52.7% from the field, 38.3% from 3-point range, and 80.6% from the free-throw line. She ranked second in the league in scoring when she was sidelined.
On June 13 in Phoenix, Plum scored a career-high 43 points in a 111-102 overtime win. She made 14-of-26 from the field, 5-of-11 from 3-point range, and 10-of-12 at the line, and she added seven assists. The 43 points tied the franchise single-game record held by Kristi Toliver.
Plum was named an All-Star for the fifth consecutive season. She did not play in the July 25 game in Chicago, and Kahleah Copper took her roster spot.
Los Angeles has lost six in a row and sits seventh in the Western Conference. The Sparks are five games back of Washington for the eighth and final playoff spot. They have not reached the postseason since 2020.
The organization parted ways with general manager Raegan Pebley on July 12. Assistant general managers Zach Knowlton and Nate Nielsen have shared the job on an interim basis since.
Sparks coach Lynne Roberts was asked about the state of the roster before Tuesday's game against New York.
"When we've been healthy, we've been good. Things have not shaken out how we wanted them to, so we need to evaluate everything. I've been in contact with the front office. For where we want to be, I think everything has to be evaluated," Roberts said. "I'm not going to get into specific players, I'm not in a position to do that. But we are evaluating everything. We're not where we want to be right now, I'm not going to sugarcoat that."
Los Angeles acquired Plum in a three-team trade in February 2025 that routed Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas. The Sparks sent the second overall pick in the 2025 draft and Li Yueru to Seattle, and the Storm used the pick on Dominique Malonga. Plum averaged 19.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists across 43 games in her first season in Los Angeles.
After Sunday's game in Portland, the Sparks play at Chicago on Aug. 5 and at Minnesota on Aug. 6.
