Kelsey Plum lands in Los Angeles, Jewell Loyd in Las Vegas, and Li Yueru in Seattle in a league-changing three-team trade reported Sunday by ESPN.
The entire WNBA landscape dramatically changed on Sunday night, thanks to a blockbuster three-team trade, first reported by ESPN, that will send Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces, Li Yueru and the 2025 no. 2 pick to the Seattle Storm, and Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.
The trade marks the first time two former WNBA No. 1 picks are involved in the same trade – and it helps bring a wave of energy and excitement to the Sparks franchise. Plum and Loyd both end up in their desired trade destinations, while the Storm will have the opportunity to select one of the 2025 draft class’s top players.
The full trade details are as follows:
- Las Vegas Aces: acquire Jewell Loyd (from Storm), no. 13 pick in 2025 (from Storm)
- Seattle Storm: acquire no. 2 pick (from Sparks), Li Yueru, 2026 first-round draft pick (from Aces)
- Los Angeles Sparks: acquire Kelsey Plum (from Aces), no. 9 pick in 2025 (from Storm), 2026 second-round pick (from Storm)
The deal makes sense for several reasons – and is seemingly a win for all (or at least most) involved parties.
Here’s what we know so far:
Jewell Loyd joins the two-time champion Las Vegas Aces
Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images
Loyd, one of Seattle’s longtime franchise players, reportedly requested a trade last month, per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times. That came after she alleged she faced harassment and bullying by the Seattle Storm coaching staff – led by Noelle Quinn – and ESPN ultimately reported that the investigation concluded without any violations.
On Sunday, soon after the trade was officially announced, Callie Fin of the Las Vegas Review-Journal confirmed that the Aces were Loyd’s preferred destination.
While she had a down year in 2024 from an efficiency standpoint – shooting a career-low 36% from the field – she’s still one of the league’s prolific scorers and was the WNBA’s scoring leader in 2023. No matter how you slice it, Loyd is a two-time WNBA champion who has averaged 19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in her 9-year career.
Her efficiency could be poised to improve alongside the Aces’ breadth of star power, and it’s very possible that opposing teams won’t be able to cover her in Las Vegas the same way they did when she was in Seattle. The Aces are headlined by three-time league MVP A’ja Wilson — the league’s leading scorer and rebounder in 2024 — as well as Olympic guards Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. Loyd was teammates with all three on the U.S. Olympic basketball team in Paris.
For the Aces, the move should likely be considered a win given that there are few shooting guards around the league better suited to replace Plum. It also allows them to draft in the first round in April.
Kelsey Plum gets a fresh start with the Los Angeles Sparks
Photo by David Becker/NBAE via Getty Images
Plum, women’s division I basketball’s second all-time leading scorer, gets to return to her home state of California and lead a promising young core headlined by Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, and rejoin forces with former Aces teammate Dearica Hamby. Plum is a two-time WNBA champion who has averaged 17.8 points and 4.2 assists in her 7-year WNBA career.
In its current form, this Sparks team is unlikely to be a group that contends for a championship. And, this franchise hasn’t received the level of resources or investment from ownership that the Aces has. The Sparks don’t currently have their own practice facility – though they recently announced plans to build one – while the Aces were the first WNBA team to have their own facility.
But, if Plum was seeking a fresh start elsewhere, this affords her that opportunity to do so in a major media market alongside a slew of young talent and a brand-new coach in Lynne Roberts.
On the other side, the Sparks’ decision to trade for Plum signals a desire to win now. Plum is 30 years old and is amid her prime, and her timeline better aligns with Dearica Hamby’s, who was the team’s leading scorer last year. With her in the fold, Los Angeles is better positioned to make a playoff push after finishing near the bottom of the league standings for the past few seasons.
Plum received the core designation by the Aces, so she had to sign off on the trade in order to end up in Los Angeles. ESPN’s Alexa Phillipou reported that Plum wanted to end up in Los Angeles after spending her entire career with the Las Vegas Aces to date – and that she would like to stay with the organization beyond 2025.
Li Yueru and the No. 2 pick to the Storm
Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images
For the Storm, given that it appeared increasingly obvious that Loyd wasn’t going to be happy in Seattle long-term, this is a pretty positive outcome. The return on their leading scorer is headlined by the no. 2 overall pick in the upcoming draft, which could land them a high-impact incoming rookie like Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles or USC’s Kiki Iriafen.
Yueru is also a potentially high-impact player who could bolster Seattle’s frontcourt depth. In her third WNBA season, the 6’7 center from China averaged 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
The trade will be officially confirmed on Feb. 1 – but per Costabile, it was expected to be the first domino to fall ahead of additional WNBA free agency moves. Those are expected to be announced in the coming days.
