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08/02 14:46 CDT Sparks send Kelsey Plum to Mercury for a 2026 1st-round pick and Monique Akoa Makani Sparks send Kelsey Plum to Mercury for a 2026 1st-round pick and Monique Akoa Makani By DOUG FEINBERG AP Basketball Writer The Los Angeles Sparks traded All-Star guard Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury for a first-round pick next year, Monique Akoa Makani and a second-round draft choice in 2028. The deal was finalized late Saturday night ahead of Sunday's trade deadline and was first reported by ESPN. It's rare for an All-Star to be traded in the middle of the season, only happening a handful of times before Saturday night. "Kelsey is one of the league's most dynamic players," Mercury GM Nick U'Ren said. "She is a fierce competitor with a winning mentality who impacts the game on both ends of the floor. Her combination of shooting, explosiveness and decision-making allows her to create offense at a high level and makes her one of the league's most complete guards. We have wanted Kelsey here for a long time, and we're excited to finally bring her to Phoenix as we continue to build on our foundation." Plum will wear No. 0 for the Mercury. She is a free agent at the end of this season and has been sidelined since June 21 because of a lower leg injury. She practiced earlier this week and was expected to play Sunday in the Sparks' game against Portland before getting traded. Phoenix's next game is Monday at Chicago. Plum was averaging a career-best 23.9 points and 6.4 assists before getting hurt. Los Angeles has struggled without her, including its last six games. Phoenix is currently 11-19 and six games behind the New York Liberty, who sit in eighth place. New York edged Phoenix 94-92 on Saturday. The Mercury are coming off a WNBA Finals appearance last season, but have seldom looked like that team despite returning stars Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper. Akoa Makani is averaging 9.4 points and 2.5 assists this season in 16 games. She was injured earlier in the season with a hamstring issue. Los Angeles acquired Plum before last season in a blockbuster deal that sent the No. 2 pick to Seattle. The Sparks had hoped they could accelerate a rebuilding effort. Seattle used that pick on Dominique Malonga, who was an All-Star this season. ___ AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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