By Sabreena Merchant, Ben Pickman and Rebecca Tauber
In a massive three-team deal, the Seattle Storm are trading Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces in an agreement that will see star guard Kelsey Plum move to the Los Angeles Sparks, a league source confirmed to The Athletic on Sunday.
The Storm will also receive the Sparks’ No. 2 draft pick in the 2025 draft as well as former Los Angeles center Li Yueru. The Sparks will receive Seattle’s No. 9 draft pick and the Aces will get the Sparks’ No. 13 pick, the source confirmed. ESPN was the first to report the deal.
The deal cannot be made official until Feb. 1.
Loyd, a six-time All-Star, requested a trade from the Storm earlier this offseason. News of her request became public after the Storm’s investigation into possible violations of workplace conduct for alleged player mistreatment by the Seattle coaching staff resulted in no evidence of wrongdoing. Per the Chicago Sun-Times, it was Loyd who filed the harassment and bullying complaint.
Loyd had established herself as one of the league’s premier guards in Seattle, winning Rookie of the Year in 2015, securing a scoring title and making three All-WNBA teams and two U.S. Olympic rosters. But this past season, as the Storm went 25-15, Loyd struggled by her standards. Although…
