The first week of WNBA free agency was quiet, but things quickly picked up on Sunday. The first domino of the WNBA player movement fell, and there was a massive, three-team trade. The Las Vegas Aces acquired Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd while sending Aces Guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources told ESPN. Sunday’s trade was the first trade in WNBA history involving multiple No. 1 overall picks.
The Storm also acquired the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and Forward Li Yueru from the Sparks, along with the Sparks’ 2026 first-round pick, sources told ESPN. The Sparks received the 2025 No. 9 pick and the 2026 second-round pick from the Storm. The Aces will get the 2025 No. 13 pick from the Sparks. Here are the subjective winners and losers of the trade.
Winners Of the WNBA Trade
The massive, three-team trade involving the Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, and Seattle Storm won’t be official until February 1, 2025, because it involved a sign-and-trade for Kelsey Plum. Plum, 30, entered the WNBA offseason as a free-agent point guard. Plum’s unexpected move signaled her tenure in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the Aces’ championship core alongside A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray, could end.
The winners of the trade are the Storm and the Aces. The Storm’s plan likely wasn’t to trade Jewell Loyd for a package centered on draft picks, as the Storm has been expected to re-sign Chiney Ogwumike and Gabby Williams to go with Skylar Diggins-Smith and Ezi Magbegor as a veteran group hoping to contend. The Storm could’ve swapped Loyd for Plum, but Plum reportedly wasn’t interested in returning to her alma mater’s state.
The Aces could’ve landed a great replacement in Plum if Loyd wanted out of Seattle, Washington. There would’ve been excellent familiarity for both sides. Loyd has teamed up with Chelsea Gray, A’ja Wilson, and Jackie Young for USA Basketball, winning a gold medal last summer, and she has played more playoff games against the Aces than any other opponent. Loyd also shares an agent, Jade Li-English, with Gray, Wilson, and Young.
Losers Of the Trade
The lone loser of the WNBA trade is the Los Angeles Sparks. The Sparks’ addition of Plum is interesting. The Sparks signaled their intent to snap a four-year playoff drought with a backcourt upgrade. The Sparks’ possible decision to expedite the rebuild to the trade they made on the eve of the 2024 WNBA free agency, acquiring the No. 4 pick from the Seattle Storm, and Kia Nurse, in exchange for the Sparks’ 2026 first-round pick.
The Los Angeles Sparks’ giving up of the No. 2 pick in this WNBA trade is a painful thought. The Sparks, who have gone from dreaming of adding Paige Bueckers to their young talent by winning the lottery to having just the No. 9 pick in this year’s first two rounds, ultimately took advantage of Plum’s interest in Los Angeles, California. The Sparks already have plenty of frontcourt players, so the Sparks’ backcourt was their downfall.
Free Agency Details
The WNBA free agency opened on January 21, 2025, with players free to sign contracts starting on February 1, 2025. Things moved slowly at first as the WNBA’s other teams awaited the outcome of the negotiations between the Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, and Seattle Storm. The first domino of the WNBA player movement fell, and there might or might not be another blockbuster, three-team trade. Sunday’s trade has remade the rosters of the two-time WNBA champion Aces and promised the Sparks’ return to playoff contention.
