After a quiet first week of WNBA free agency, the first domino of player movement has fallen -- and it's a massive one.
In a blockbuster three-team trade, the Las Vegas Aces are acquiring Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd while sending Aces guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, sources told ESPN on Sunday. It is the first trade in league history involving multiple No. 1 overall picks.
The Storm are also acquiring the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft and forward Li Yueru from the Sparks, as well as Las Vegas' 2026 first-round pick, sources told ESPN. Los Angeles receives the No. 9 pick in 2025 and a 2026 second-round pick from Seattle. The Aces will get the No. 13 pick in 2025 from the Sparks.
The deal can't be official until Feb. 1 because it involves a sign-and-trade for Plum.
Plum entered the offseason as a free agent, an indication that her time in Las Vegas -- as part of the championship-winning core alongside A'ja Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray -- might be coming to an end.
The Aces used their core designation on Plum, so her only way of changing teams was via a trade, but she had to sign off on the deal. She joins L.A. on a one-year deal and hopes to stay with the Sparks beyond 2025, sources told ESPN.
The vast majority of WNBA players -- including Plum and Loyd -- are expected to be free agents in 2026, ahead of a new collective bargaining agreement that many anticipate will feature significant salary increases.
Loyd, meanwhile, still had one year left on her contract with the Storm, but her trade request occurred after her allegations of harassment and bullying against the Storm coaching staff. That prompted an external investigation, which found no violations.
Plum and Loyd, both shooting guards, have shared similar trajectories as pros. They were both No. 1 overall picks -- Loyd in 2015 to Seattle; Plum in 2017 to San Antonio, which relocated to Las Vegas one year later. They both emerged as All-WNBA talents and perennial All-Stars, each winning a pair of championships with their respective franchises. They were Olympic gold medalists in Tokyo, where Loyd played 5-on-5 and Plum 3-on-3. They were teammates at the Paris Olympics and helped Team USA win an eighth consecutive gold medal.
And they had both spent their WNBA careers playing for the franchises that selected them -- until now.
Plum, who until last year held the NCAA women's basketball scoring record, joins a Los Angeles organization that hired Lynne Roberts as its new coach this offseason and is building around 2024 lottery picks Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson, plus veterans Dearica Hamby and Azura Stevens. With a star of Plum's caliber, the Sparks, one of the league's most iconic franchises, look well-positioned to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
Loyd's arrival in Las Vegas will help the Aces, who fell short of their three-peat bid last season. A six-time All-Star and the WNBA scoring leader in 2023, Loyd is a perimeter scoring threat to play alongside three-time MVP Wilson, three-time All-Star Young and 2022 Finals MVP Gray.
Coming off a disappointing first-round postseason exit, the Storm move up in the draft and, picking second overall, might have the chance to select Notre Dame's Olivia Miles or USC's Kiki Iriafen. Seattle still has Skylar Diggins-Smith under contract, cored Gabby Williams earlier this month and will look to re-sign unrestricted free agent Nneka Ogwumike.
Sources told ESPN the Sparks were uncertain about who would be available at the No. 2 pick and the team also hopes to sign Plum to a multiyear deal, making it palatable to give up the lottery pick. Miles and Paige Bueckers, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick, are both considered top prospects, but both maintain their college eligibility for the 2025-26 season and haven't publicly confirmed their plans for the upcoming draft.
ESPN's Shams Charania, Ramona Shelburne and Kendra Andrews contributed to this report.