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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 15: Kelsey Plum 10 of the Los Angeles Sparks looks on during a WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA Commissioners Cup game against the Golden State Valkyries on June 15, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA. Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire WNBA: JUN 15 Los Angeles Sparks at Golden State Valkyries EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260615095 ©IMAGO/Icon Sportswire
In the era of the new CBA, almost every top player prioritized bigger contracts, but not Kelsey Plum. Instead, Plum signed a one-year, $999,999 contract to return to the Los Angeles Sparks for the 2026 season. That one dollar, according to Plum, saved her $13,000 in taxes, and she did not need “validation for signing for a million.” However, now that half the season is done, there are questions regarding her future as she faces a different path than Napheesa Collier, who is also on a one-year contract.
“I think when it comes to Kelsey Plum specifically, she’s on an expiring contract. Someone has to answer the question: Is she coming back? If you don’t know for sure that she’s coming back, then it’s your job to shop her and see if you can get a return on that value now,” Annie Costabile said on the No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show. “You could maybe argue the same for Napheesa Collier in Minnesota, but the clear distinction is that the Lynx are contenders.”
Napheesa Collier signed a one-year supermax deal with the Lynx after suffering major ankle injuries last year. She has returned to team practice and is currently focusing on recovery. Plum is out with a lower-leg injury, and the Sparks are struggling without her, with a 10-12 record and a shaky defense.
The point Costabile is trying to make is that the Lynx don’t need to extract value from Collier through a trade. As the league leaders, they can utilize Collier in their postseason run when they contend for the title. The Sparks can’t say the same, as they could be looking for a reset. The management already fired their general manager, Raegan Pebley, after two-plus seasons in charge. They announced that her responsibilities would be shared by assistant GMs Zach Knowlton and Nate Nielsen in the interim.
“If you don’t have confirmation from Kelsey Plum that she plans to re-sign with you as a free agent, what are you holding on to?” Costabile further said. “That’s the question the Sparks need to answer right now. It would be negligent not to have that answered and not to have a game plan in place.”
They also need to understand what Kelsey Plum wants. She needed a “fresh start” and felt that her “growth was capped” in Las Vegas.
According to The Athletic, “Pebley was making calls around the league leading up to the August 2 trade deadline, multiple sources told The Athletic. Plum is on an expiring contract, which could make her a valuable asset at the deadline if the franchise doesn’t anticipate her to return in free agency.”
However, they gave away the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft, which turned out to be Dominique Malonga, for Plum. Will that hefty price come into play? Only time will tell, but the Sparks and Plum are at a crossroads.
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The post WNBA Analyst Explains Why Kelsey Plum Faces a Different Reality Than Napheesa Collier Despite Expiring Contracts appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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