The 2026 WNBA trade deadline passed at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday with two completed deals. The Los Angeles Sparks came out of it holding the most.
On Friday, the Toronto Tempo acquired Aneesah Morrow from the Connecticut Sun for Toronto’s 2028 second-round pick and the rights to Maria Kliundikova. Late Saturday night, Los Angeles sent Kelsey Plum to the Phoenix Mercury for Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-rounder. Eleven of the league’s 15 teams did not make a trade.
Let’s grade the four teams that did make a move at the deadline. Who came out on top?
Los Angeles Sparks: A
Plum was retained this offseason on the Core Designation, the league’s version of a franchise tag, which gave her veto rights on any trade. She signed for one year at $999,999 after becoming eligible for a $1.4 million supermax. She has not played since June 21 because of a lower left leg injury, and she missed time earlier in the season with an ankle problem. ESPN’s Kendra Andrews reported Sunday that Plum still intends to go through the full free agency process in October.
The return was a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and a 25-year-old starter.
Plum spoke with reporters on Thursday, before the trade.
“I’m not taking anything personal. I’m gonna be where my feet are,” Plum said. “I play for the Sparks, so on Sunday, I’m gonna suit up.”
Akoa Makani, 25, made the 2025 All-Rookie Team as a first-year guard out of Cameroon. Through 18 games this season she is averaging 9.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 43.8% from the field and 43.6% from 3-point range.
The Sparks were 10-17 and had lost six straight when the deal was agreed to. They had gone 2-9 during Plum’s absence. Los Angeles beat the Portland Fire 106-101 on Sunday afternoon, half an hour after the deadline, as Dearica Hamby scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Nneka Ogwumike scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The Sparks acquired Plum under then general manager Raegan Pebley before the 2025 season for the second overall pick, which Seattle used on Dominique Malonga. The team gets some considerable assets instead of risking the veteran walking away with nothing in return.
Phoenix Mercury: D+
Phoenix woke up Sunday at 11-19, six games behind the eighth and final playoff spot with 14 games to play. The Mercury are 13 games behind Minnesota. Their 104.7 offensive rating is better than only Seattle, Washington, and Connecticut.
Satou Sabally left in free agency during the off-season. Jovana Nogić, third on the team in scoring at 10.4 points, departed during the season for personal reasons.
Alyssa Thomas, 34, leads Phoenix with 8.3 assists per game, while Akoa Makani was the only other Mercury player averaging more than two.
Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren addressed the trade in a team statement.
“Kelsey is one of the league’s most dynamic players,” 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 is 31 and averaging 23.9 points and 6.4 assists in 12 games for L.A. Both figures are career highs. Per Elias Sports Bureau, that scoring average is the highest for any player who has changed teams midseason with a minimum of 10 games played. It is the fourth time in league history an All-Star has been traded during a season.
Phoenix sent its own 2027 first-round pick to a team that has missed the playoffs five consecutive seasons. Should the Mercury miss the postseason this year, they would be the first team to do so the year after reaching the Finals since Phoenix in 2008.
For the Mercury, the effectiveness of the trade hinges on the re-signing of Plum in the offseason.
Toronto Tempo: B+
Morrow, 23, was taken by Connecticut seventh overall in the 2025 draft. Through 20 games this season, she averaged 11.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 23.2 minutes, with nine starts. Her nine double-doubles are tied for eighth in the WNBA. She has raised her field-goal percentage from 37.5% as a rookie to 42.1%, while Hher 3-point percentage has gone from 24% to 28.4%.
Toronto averages 31.1 rebounds per game, third-fewest in the league. Isabelle Harrison, 32, leads the Tempo at 6.4 rebounds. Harrison has appeared in 16 games and reaches free agency after the season.
Tempo general manager Monica Wright Rogers commented in the team’s release.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Aneesah to our organization,” Wright Rogers said. “She’s a relentless competitor who impacts the game in so many ways, particularly with her ability to rebound at a high level. We believe she’s one of the emerging frontcourt talents in this league, and we’re excited to see her play in a Tempo uniform.”
Morrow is under contract through 2027. Toronto holds a team option for 2028, and she would become a restricted free agent in 2029. The Tempo waived guard Tima Pouye in a corresponding move.
Toronto is 10-18 in its first season while the move aids in a glaring weakness.
Connecticut Sun: D
The Sun are 7-22 and relocate to Houston after this season in a revival of the Comets. They traded a 23-year-old first-round pick for a 2028 second-rounder and the rights to Kliundikova. Los Angeles took Kliundikova 11th overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft. She last played in the WNBA with Minnesota in 2025 and did not report to Toronto this season after the expansion draft.
Sun president Jen Rizzotti issued a statement Friday.
“We are incredibly grateful for the time Aneesah spent with the Connecticut Sun and for the professionalism, commitment, and buy-in she showed from the moment we drafted her,” Rizzotti said.
Brittney Griner and Aaliyah Edwards are out with knee injuries. Olivia Nelson-Ododa and rookie Raegan Beers are the healthy post players. Houston is banking on a marquee player in an intriguing 2027 draft class.
The Cap Space Nobody Used
Washington and Portland hold the two largest amounts of cap room in the league. The Mystics are 16-12 and holding the final playoff position. The Fire are currently 11-19. Neither absorbed salary in exchange for a draft pick. Seattle gave up a first-round pick for Brittney Sykes at the 2025 deadline.
Golden State is 19-9 in its second season. The Valkyries were exploring the trade market but did not complete a deal.
Chicago traded a first-round pick for Jacy Sheldon in the offseason. The Sky do not control their own first-round selection in 2027 or 2028. Skylar Diggins is 35 and signed through 2027. Chicago moved her to the bench in early July, she was publicly not happy about it and was on the roster when the deadline passed.
Minnesota is 25-6. Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve spoke to the Minnesota Star Tribune‘s Cassidy Hettesheimer before Sunday’s game against Indiana.
“Our roster is complete,” Reeve said. “We will not be making any trades.”
The Lynx signed forward Chloe Bibby away from Chicago’s developmental roster on Saturday, the third such signing in the league this season after the Sparks added Kiana Williams in June and the Las Vegas Aces added Justine Pissott in July. Chicago had until 5 p.m. ET Saturday to match and declined.
As for the rest of the W season, the World Cup break runs Aug. 31 through Sept. 17, and the regular season ends Sept. 24.
Editor’s Pick
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