Sparks Should Blow It Up With Kelsey Plum Deal at Trade Deadline
The Los Angeles Sparks picked up right where they left off going into the All-Star break. They suffered another loss, their sixth consecutive one and 17th of the season. To make matters worse, reports by The Athletic’s Annie Costabile suggest that Kelsey Plum isn’t looking to re-sign with the organization after this season.
“Plum signed a one-year deal valued at $999,999 in free agency, but the sense from sources around the league, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not cleared to comment publicly on the matter, is that the 31-year-old guard does not intend to re-sign with the Sparks as a free agent,” Costabile wrote in a July 28 article.
The Sparks gave up chances to draft Dominique Malonga and Awa Fam and traded away Rickea Jackson. And yet, they are far away from being the contender they were hoping to build around Plum. They are five games behind the Washington Mystics for the final playoff spot.
It’s time to accept that their win-now-approach failed and aim for a do-over with some trade-deadline moves, headlined by a Plum trade. Even on an expiring contract, Plum should draw trade interest. She would, for example, solidify the Golden State Valkyries as a possible contender or give the Washington Mystics a veteran star to pair with an outstanding young core.
The Sparks should just blow it up and rebuild (for real this time)
Rushing a rebuild is difficult, and it didn’t work out for the Sparks. With Plum reportedly ready to move on, the Sparks can go in two different directions: try to salvage a winning approach around Nneka Ogwumike and Dearica Hamby and continue to be mediocre at best, or trade everyone they can get picks and young players for and go through a proper rebuild.
Trading Ogwumike, who is climbing up every Sparks all-time list imaginable, would be tough, but the Sparks should also look into trade deadline deals for Hamby, Ariel Atkins, and Erica Wheeler. All of them could draw interest from teams looking for reliable role players to boost their second-half playoff push.
The second option may not sound very appealing to the Sparks, given their latest decisions—although it’s uncertain how much of that win-now approach was on Raegan Pebley, who is no longer the GM, and how much came from ownership—but it’s the best way.
If the Sparks tank the rest of the season, they will have a pretty good pick in a 2027 draft that will feature JuJu Watkins (unless she stays at USC for another season), Madison Booker, Hannah Hidalgo, S’Mya Nichols, Mikaylah Williams, MiLaysia Fulwiley, and Tessa Johnson. It’s a deep class and having several first-round picks would set a solid foundation for a proper rebuild, especially if the Sparks can sneak into a top-five pick.
Moreover, blowing it up and going through a rebuild would increase their chances of getting a high pick in a 2028 draft that’s expected to feature Sarah Strong, Joyce Edwards, and Jazzy Davidson.
The Toronto Tempo expressed interest in Cameron Brink, per Costabile’s reporting, but the Sparks declined. If they still consider Brink a long-term piece, a few rebuilding seasons wouldn’t be bad for her either. An ACL tear cost her most of her first two seasons in the W, and she needs time to develop and catch up with her draft peers.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.