Reports: Jewell Loyd dealt to Las Vegas Aces in 3-team blockbuster WNBA trade involving Los Angeles Sparks, Seattle Storm

Photo Credit: Akiem Bailum

With the WNBA’s free agent period upon us, the news cycle is preparing to become extremely active. 

Said news cycle already was active between the women’s college season in conference play as well as Unrivaled. The W is preparing to re-enter the chat in a huge way. 

For a few days, Annie Costabile who covers the Chicago Sky and the WNBA for the Chicago Sun-Times has been reporting on a possible three-team blockbuster trade that her sources have told her would open the free agency floodgates. Said deal would see Jewell Loyd dealt from the Seattle Storm to the Las Vegas Aces. 

The deal would also see Kelsey Plum (an unrestricted free agent) traded from the Aces to the Los Angeles Sparks. 

Yesterday, the news of said trade was indeed broken – and confirmed – by multiple reporters – including Shams Charania at ESPN. And the deal does indeed see Loyd going to the Aces and Plum heading to the Sparks. It also sees Li Yueru joining the Storm. 

In addition, the trade will see the Storm acquire the No. 2 overall selection which was previously held by the Sparks via the draft lottery. The No. 9 overall selection is acquired by the Sparks and the Aces will obtain the No. 13th overall pick. 

A pair of 2026 selections were also exchanged in this blockbuster deal, according to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. The Storm will acquire the Aces’ first-round pick and the Sparks get the Storm’s second-round selection. 

This is nothing short of a massive deal. For the Aces, it once again vaults Las Vegas back to the top of the championship conversation along with the Minnesota Lynx and – of course – the defending champion New York Liberty. While it has to hurt the Aces to let go of someone such as Plum who was a cornerstone of Las Vegas’ back-to-back championship runs in 2022 and 2023, one cannot pass on an opportunity to land one of the W’s elite scorers in Loyd. 

The Gold Mamba set a scoring record for the Storm in 2023. In addition, she was named MVP of that year’s All-Star Game – at Michelob Ultra Arena of course. Who would have guessed that stellar performance where she scored 31 points (at the time an All-Star Game record before it was broken by Arike Ogunbowale at last season’s All-Star Game in Phoenix) was actually a look into our crystal basketballs. 

Loyd (19.7 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.2 steals a game last season) replaces Plum (17.8 points, 4.2 assists last season) in Las Vegas’ core four alongside A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. Perhaps, all the Aces need is someone who is more of a pure five. Brittney Griner has been mentioned as a possibility as we know she is now testing the free agent waters.

For the Sparks, it reunites Plum with Dearica Hamby who previously were teammates with the Aces. At most what Los Angeles can hope for a season where it makes the playoffs as an eighth seed given the Sparks are rebuilding. 

It is also watershed for Plum herself. Let us remember that Plum was a building block for the Aces franchise – before the franchise was the Aces. She was the first overall selection of the 2017 draft out of Washington – when the franchise still played in San Antonio as the Stars. Seeing Plum in any other uniform other than Las Vegas’ will take some getting used to. 

It has been suggested that a major inspiration for the Sparks to do this deal is the team was unsure as to who would be available in the 2025 draft at No. 2. It has been assumed that the only player that would not be available at the second selection would be Paige Bueckers who has been mentioned in many mocks as the likely No. 1 overall to the Dallas Wings. 

This reads like the Sparks being not as starry-eyed about this draft class the way it was the 2024 rendition when it landed Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson. 

As for the Storm, Seattle has traded away its final link to the two championships it won in 2018 and 2020. Loyd was part of the Storm’s big three with Sue Bird (now retired) and Breanna Stewart (now at the Liberty). Loyd has been synonymous with Seattle since she was drafted out of Notre Dame with the first overall selection in the 2015 draft. 

And despite a mountain of speculation that she could be on her way back to her native Chicago, the Sky ultimately backed out of the Loyd sweepstakes. 

A lot of reporting (some of it legitimate, some of it not) came out about possible turmoil with the Seattle franchise. Regardless, one would have to believe that Skylar Diggins-Smith (15.1 points, 6.4 assists last season) is anything but pleased with this news regarding Loyd. 

After all, Diggins-Smith (who will be 35 years old this August) did not simply start sporting the Storm colors solely for the sake of sporting said colors. Diggins-Smith wants to play for a contender. The core four of Loyd, Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor was supposed to do simply that. 

If Diggins-Smith is feeling cross following this trade, one would have to think something may happen on that front too. Could she be next on the way out? And if she is next, what is stopping another Diggins-Smith trade. Loyd being dealt to the Aces could be the first step in the Storm deciding to blow it all up and start fresh via the draft. 

The fortunate thing for the Storm is that there is a litany of talent that will arise in coming drafts. Flau’Jae Johnson is likely going to be the No. 1 overall pick. The 2027 draft may have as many big and recognizable names as was the case in 2024. Those names include Hannah Hidalgo, MiLaysia Fulwiley, Mikaylah Williams and (of course) JuJu Watkins. 

Then – there is the 2028 draft which is sure to include marquee names such as Sarah Strong, Joyce Edwards and Kiyomi McMiller. The talent is certainly there for Seattle if they choose to rebuild through the draft. 

In short, this appears to be another building block until 2027 when one would presume the Sparks would likely draft Watkins with the first overall pick. Could someone tell us what the Storm are doing? The Aces are back.

Talk about having an Ace up your sleeve…