Mercury GM Issues Statement After Kelsey Plum Trade: 'Excited to Finally Bring Her to Phoenix'

The Phoenix Mercury made a blockbuster trade on Sunday (8/2), acquiring Kelsey Plum from the Los Angeles Sparks. 

Los Angeles traded Plum to Phoenix for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder.

After the trade went through, Mercury general manager Nick U'Ren issued a statement, and in that statement, U'Ren revealed Phoenix has been trying to get Plum "for a long time."

"Kelsey is one of the league's most dynamic players," U'Ren said in a statement. "She is a fierce competitor with a winning mentality who impacts the game on both ends of the floor. Her combination of shooting, explosiveness and decision-making allows her to create offense at a high level and makes her one of the league's most complete guards. We have wanted Kelsey here for a long time, and we're excited to finally bring her to Phoenix as we continue to build on our foundation."

Plum has appeared in only 12 games this season because of injuries. She's averaging 23.9 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 52.7% from the field, 38.3% from beyond the arc and 80.6% from the free-throw line. 

This is a risky trade for the Mercury because Plum becomes an unrestricted free agent after this season. According to ESPN, Plum intends to go through the full free agency process in the offseason, which means Phoenix could lose her for nothing. 

Plum heads to a Mercury team that is 11-19, 13 games out of first place and six games behind the eighth-place New York Liberty. There's a chance Plum got traded from a non-playoff team (Sparks) to another non-playoff team. 

A five-time All-Star, Plum has been in the WNBA since 2017. She was the first pick in the 2017 draft by the San Antonio Stars, who became the Las Vegas Aces in 2018.

Plum won two championships and the 2021 Sixth Player of the Year Award with the Aces. She also made three All-Star teams and one All-WNBA team with Las Vegas.

Plum joined the Sparks in 2025 via a trade with the Aces.

In April, Plum signed a one-year, $999,999 extension with Los Angeles. She was in line for the $1.4 million supermax but opted to sign at a discounted rate to give the Sparks financial flexibility to build a title-contending roster.

However, the Sparks have been a walking disaster this year. They are only 11-17. 

Plum holds career averages of 15.5 points per game in the WNBA. She is an Olympic gold medalist with both the 5-on-5 (2024) and 3x3 (2020) U.S. teams.