WNBA: Why Kelsey Plum will be a perfect fit on the Los Angeles Sparks

The Los Angeles Sparks will begin a new era in 2025. They hired Lynne Roberts as their head coach, are building a brand-new practice facility for the future and, to improve their present, have traded for Kelsey Plum.

A three-team blockbuster deal sent Plum from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, while costing the Sparks their No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and center Li Yueru. That’s a heavy price to pay, but when the return is a three-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist guard coming to a team that desperately needs consistency in the backcourt, you have to be pleased.

The Sparks haven’t had an All-Star guard on their team since 2019, when Chelsea Gray was still on the roster. Last season with the Aces, Plum averaged 17.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists. Those numbers would’ve made her the points leader on the Sparks and second-best in assists behind Odyssey Sims, who only played 15 games for Los Angeles.

As the primary ball handler and top option in LA, Plum will be able to play a bit more selfishly and unleash her maximum potential. While she undeniably blossomed in Las Vegas, the Aces were star-studded, and the ball was often in Gray’s hands, usually heading to A’ja Wilson’s next. The Sparks, on the other hand, lack offensive talent. Last season, they desperately needed a creator, and Plum will easily fill that role on this roster.

While the trade has been agreed to, players can’t officially sign until Feb. 1, which is why the Sparks have not officially commented on the deal. However, that hasn’t stoped their best player from sharing her enthusiasm with this move, as Dearica Hamby shared a picture of her and Plum as Aces teammates on X/Twitter.

Plum and Hamby played with each from 2017 to 2022, and were part of the Aces organization way back when they were still playing in San Antonio as the Stars.

Expect this duo to run a lot of pick and rolls together and have more success executing this action than Hamby has had during her two seasons with the Sparks. Too many times, particularly last season, Hamby would get into position on the block for an entry pass and players would either be too slow executing the pass or the ball would be delivered off target. This resulted in either a turnover or Hamby to having to get out of position to catch the ball. Sparks fans should be seeing less of this with Plum on the court in 2025.

With Los Angeles having missed the playoffs for four straight years—their longest drought in franchise history—this trade is a step in the right direction. If Plum plays as expected, Los Angeles will be in great position to make the postseason and return to relevancy in an ever-changing WNBA world that is currently focused on what’s happening in Las Vegas, New York and Indiana far more than it cares about the City of Angeles.

If the Sparks continue making improvements via player development, trades and through the draft, they can quickly rise back up to prominence in the league and play games that matter come September.