Veteran guard Kelsey Plum is no longer with the Aces, but that doesn’t mean she’s forgotten what they meant to her.
On Friday, the former Las Vegas staple posted a touching Instagram tribute to her Aces teammates, Becky Hammon and the entire organization. After seven seasons with the franchise, Plum was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks earlier in January.
“It’s been an incredible journey to be part of the Aces organization, and Vegas will always hold a special place in my heart,” Plum said. “The friendships I formed here, I’ll hold onto forever. I was blessed to play and learn from star coaches alongside the best possible teammates.”
Here’s Kelsey’s full goodbye message to her former team and a tear-jerking video. Grab the tissues.
New Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum recently posted several photos on her Instagram, including some seemingly in California. It begs the question: Did Kelsey Plum hint at a Sparks trade one day before the blockbuster WNBA deal?
Here’s the answer: it’s unclear. But here’s what we do know.
For months, Plum has been sharing loads of photos and videos of her thoroughly enjoying her WNBA offseason. She’s having a blast, from spending time with family and friends to attending her college jersey retirement ceremony.
Among her recent posts were images posted just a day before her trade to the Sparks, including what appears to be her standing outside Walter Pyramid, a sports venue just minutes from Los Angeles. Here’s what we mean.
The timing of the post could be purely coincidental. Plum is also a California native and could have just been visiting home, but the location is notable.
Again, it’s unclear if this was an intentional move on Plum’s part, but either way, it’s very cool to see her land in a familiar place.
Who won the Kelsey Plum-Jewell Loyd 3-team trade deal?
The first major dominoes of WNBA free agency fell with a blockbuster trade.
How did we get here? Let’s go back to the WNBA playoffs.
In October 2024, Becky Hammon told the media, “You gotta make the moves necessary … It’s not [going] to be the same group probably next year” after the Aces quest for a third consecutive championship fell short. That meant that someone would be on the outside looking in, and now we know it’s veteran guard Kelsey Plum.
But Plum’s move wasn’t the only splash. WNBA champion Jewell Loyd, who requested a trade at the end of last year, is also on the move, taking Plum’s roster spot in Las Vegas as part of a three-team trade.
The Sparks get: Guard Kelsey Plum, the No. 9 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Seattle’s 2026 second-round pick
The Aces get: Guard Jewell Loyd and the No. 13 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft
The Storm get: Center Li Yueru, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and Las Vegas’ 2026 first-round pick
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 07: Dearica Hamby #5 of the Los Angeles Sparks at Crypto.com Arena on June 07, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
After playing musical point guards last season and Layshia Clarendon’s retirement, it was evident that the Sparks needed a starting guard YESTERDAY. But Kelsey Plum? I didn’t see it. Sure, Plum’s a Cali native and playing the point is something she *can do*, but it isn’t her at her best.
Plum can dish if needed, but she’s much better at shooting guard. Kelsey is a walking bucket, particularly from 3-point range and getting downhill to the basket when called upon. That was really evident when her former teammate Chelsea Gray returned from injury. Plum got an instant boost amid some team-wide shooting woes.
So, what would make a two-time WNBA champion join the Sparks?
Well, L.A. is in win-now mode, as evidenced by its recent hire of head coach Lynne Roberts. It also has one of the most promising young cores in the league, including top-draft picks Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson.
And oh, yeah. Kelsey’s on-court bestie and former Aces teammate, Dearica Hamby, is the team’s anchor. Hamby is an experienced vet who was in the mix for Most Improved Player in 2024, and that’s likely a considerable draw.
From the Sparks’ perspective, trading for Plum is a safer move than rolling the dice on a top WNBA draft pick. You’re set at the starting guard position if she stays longer than a year. But take this mental sticky note. Free agent Courtney Vandersloot is one name to watch, as landing her could boost the Sparks’ depth at guard. Sloot has championship experience, can run an offense and can give Los Angeles points if needed.
Trade grade: B+
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 19: A’ja Wilson #22 of the Las Vegas Aces shoots a free throw against the Seattle Storm in the first quarter of their game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on June 19, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aces defeated the Storm 94-83. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Las Vegas Aces
If you’re the Aces, how do you rectify losing Kelsey Plum and getting value in return? How do you cure that kind of lingering breakup hangover?
With a Jewell Loyd.
Yes, really. You get A’ja Wilson on the phone with Loyd and tell them they must recreate their infamous meme from the 2024 NBA All-Star game.
Okay, I’m kidding. But, seriously, I highly doubt it took much convincing to get Jewell to the desert to play with *checks notes* A’ja, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, and coach Becky Hammon while having access to top-tier player resources.
Did I mention that Jewell won a gold medal in Paris with A’ja, Chelsea and Jackie as teammates? C’mon now. This is peak Aces behavior. This is what they do. Snag ridiculous talent and make everyone question how they continue pulling off this sorcery. And *technically* they did it this time without a general manager. MADNESS.
So, what do the Aces get by landing Loyd?
Well, Jewell’s an instant upgrade in size and scoring. At 5-foot-11, she’s got three more inches on Kelsey Plum, and she’s a scoring machine. She won the scoring title in 2023, and in a down year last year, she still managed to average 19.7 points and 4.5 rebounds. Jewell also has championship experience, and that matters a lot for a team trying to return to the Promised Land.
The downside is that landing Loyd didn’t come cheap. Las Vegas lost a 2026 first-round pick, and her $249,032 cap hit will make it more challenging for the Aces to continue tweaking the roster as free agency rolls on.
Trade grade: B
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – JULY 12: Nneka Ogwumike #3 and Skylar Diggins-Smith #4 of the Seattle Storm react after a basket against the Minnesota Lynx during the second quarter at Climate Pledge Arena on July 12, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Seattle Storm
The biggest winner of such a monumental trade is Seattle. It’s not easy to fulfill one of your biggest star’s trade request and get something back in return. Seattle managed to do both, and that’s a massive win.
After Jewell Loyd’s departure, they swerved and bent the corner into the No. 2 pick. This opens up so many possibilities, including drafting Jewell’s replacement (Olivia Miles, perhaps?) or trading the pick away for more draft capital to make a move for a veteran guard. They also got a 2026 first-round pick and a formidable big in Li Yueru to help out Ezi Magbegor and solidify their post presence.
But here’s where things get tricky for Seattle.
What will the Storm do if Nneka Ogwumike doesn’t come back?
While it’s widely assumed she will return to Seattle for a chance to play with Skylar Diggins-Smith, it’s not a given. If Nneka leaves, Seattle’s big three would have effectively gotten one season together, and that’s just nasty work. (Obviously, dynamics changed, but Skylar’s reasoning for leaving Phoenix—wanting to play with Jewell and Nneka—quickly becomes much more awkward.)
Also, replacing your 2024 leading scorer won’t be easy. You must find someone who can replace the production and won’t hurt the bank because you might have pigeon-holed yourself by giving Gabby Williams the core tag. It could still work, but Seattle might have to get crafty.
The writing for former Notre Dame guard [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag]’s future with the Seattle Storm was on the wall for some time. The relationship between the two sides had deteriorated to the point where they no longer could work together.
Now, Loyd will have a new WNBA address for the first time.
According to an ESPN report, Loyd has been traded to the Las Vegas Aces as part of a three-team deal. The deal sends Kelsey Plum from the Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks. The three teams will swap picks in this year’s draft; the Storm end up with the second overall pick from Los Angeles.
Loyd will join fellow former Irish guard and U.S. Olympic teammate [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag] in Sin City. She leaves behind a great legacy in Seattle. She was the first pick in the 2015 draft and lived up to that billing. She won two WNBA championships to go with being a six-time All-Star, an All-Star MVP, a three-time All-WNBA selection and the Rookie of the Year.
Aces fans hopefully will get to watch games like this:
Best of luck to Loyd in her new surroundings.
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Two-time WNBA champion Kelsey Plum is headed to the Los Angeles Sparks in a massive three-team trade that shook hoops fans on Sunday night. Also part of the deal is Jewell Loyd, — who is getting her wish after requesting a trade from the Seattle Storm — as the two-time WNBA champion in her own right is on her way to the Las Vegas Aces.
The trade is a massive one, sending Plum to the Sparks in an effort to revitalize their franchise after a last place, 8-32 season. Loyd now lands with the Aces, with the team looking to bounce back after falling to the New York Liberty in last year’s semifinals. The Storm, in return for Loyd, are picking up the No. 2 overall pick in 2025 and Li Yueru.
ESPN’s Shams Charania broke the news on Sunday.
Blockbuster WNBA deal: The Seattle Storm are trading six-time All-Star Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces in a multi-team move that sends three-time All-Star Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources tell me, @ramonashelburne, @alexaphilippou, @kendra__andrews. pic.twitter.com/OlRb37RKIA
Spike Lee vs. Kelsey Plum might be the best matchup of this series.
Playoff basketball is always fun no matter what setting it comes in. But it always gets a little bit better when some good trash talk is involved. The trash talk is always better when it’s a bit of friendly banter between a fan and a player.
And all of that hits its peak when the trash talker on the sidelines is none other than legendary filmmaker Spike Lee.
Spike attended Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals between the Liberty and Aces. Of course, he got into it with somebody and, of course, that somebody is Kelsey Plum.
The two were going back and forth in the middle of the game.
These two were legitimately going back and forth. Whatever he was saying to Plum sure did light a bit of fire in her. She finished the game with 24 points and 4 assists, with 12 of those points coming after this exchange with Lee.
As far as what was said, Plum spoke about it after the game. She didn’t reveal too much, but it clearly struck a nerve in a good way.
Kelsey Plum on her sideline chatter with Spike Lee
“I can't say exactly what was said, but I told him that he should talk louder. But it was all well and fun and really cool that he's here, even last round was really cool. I was here. I know he's big sports fan.”@Ballislifepic.twitter.com/scorK01EFd
After a tough loss Wednesday, Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum didn’t sugarcoat how hard it was to watch Minnesota Lynx guard Courtney Williams drop bucket after bucket on her.
Defensively, the Aces have been inconsistent for most of the season. Teams usually don’t have enough in their toolbox to go toe-to-toe with Las Vegas, so it’s usually never a problem. But, the Lynx are different.
They’re fantastic on both sides of the floor and have multiple scoring options, including Courtney Williams, whose midrange game is nearly automatic. So, it’s not shocking that Courtney put Kelsey in the blender all night — to the tune of 22 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds on 62 percent shooting — and Kelsey openly admitted it. Here’s what she told the media postgame about guarding Williams:
“I’m a big Courtney Williams fan. I’ve watched her [during] her entire career…Obviously, she’s playing the highest level of basketball right now…she cooked me tonight.”
“There’s really not much to say…when you get your [expletive] kicked, you gotta give the other people credit.”
Kelsey Plum on defending Courtney Williams: "She cooked me… There's really not much to say."
"She had it tonight, and when you get your ass kicked, you gotta give the other people credit."
If nothing else, Las Vegas Aces and Team USA women’s basketball star Kelsey Plum is always going to find the camera.
It doesn’t matter if it’s in the WNBA on her home court or across the pond on an Olympic court. Kelsey is ALWAYS going to find a nearby camera to make sure somebody is seeing what she is seeing.
Breaking the fourth wall is kind of her specialty and it totally happened during Team USA’s opening game during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Plum was fouled, and while falling to the ground, she hysterically (and perhaps strategically) rolled right in front of a camera and stopped to talk right into the lens to ask for two foul shots.
“We take it for granted, but we’re watching one of the greatest players of all time in front of our eyes.”
Kelsey Plum reminded the media voting for MVP this year that her teammate’s selection should be unanimous. Plum hasn’t forgotten about A’ja Wilson’s infamous 4th-place vote she received last season.
In 2023, Breanna Stewart edged out Alyssa Thomas and A’ja Wilson for the league’s MVP. It was the tightest three-way voting margin (just 13 points separated all three candidates) in league history. Wilson was obviously bummed about losing after a stellar campaign. But a head-scratching 4th-place vote propelled her straight into a Finals MVP and a petty shirt at the Aces’ championship parade.
This season, A’ja Wilson is the clear frontrunner for MVP, and Kelsey Plum wants the media to know that A’ja — who is averaging a blistering 26 points and 11 rebounds — should be a unanimous selection. In a newly released video, here’s what Kelsey said:
“We take it for granted, but we’re watching one of the greatest players of all time in front of our eyes, and it’s like….28 is like, ‘Oh, yeah. A’ja had 28.’ Like, that’s crazy. You know what I mean?”
“I’m serious. I just wish that, like, moving forward, that…it’s a unanimous vote this year. You feel me?”
A media member in the room jumped in to respond to Kelsey, seemingly explaining that A’ja has been MVP before. However, Kelsey quickly followed up with this zinger:
‘No, I understand. But there’s a difference between MVP unanimous.”
"It's a unanimous vote this year, you feel me?" @Kelseyplum10
Plum had some words to share about A'ja Wilson averaging 28 points a night this season:
: 
(@alexkatson) 
🫣