“I know I can lead, but the opportunity is not here” – Kelsey Plum explains why she asked for a trade from the Las Vegas Aces originally appeared on Basketball Network.
Kelsey Plum was the Las Vegas Aces’ No.1 overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, back when they were still known as the San Antonio Stars. Plum was touted to be the future of the franchise, but after the Aces drafted first overall in each of the following seasons and picked A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young in 2018 and 2019, respectively, she took the backseat and played a role in helping them become a championship team.
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The Aces won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, while Plum won the Sixth Player of the Year award in 2021 and earned three consecutive All-Star selections from 2022 to 2024. But after the previous campaign, she asked to be traded, and the Aces dealt her to the Los Angeles Sparks in a three-team exchange.
During her appearance on the “Bird’s Eye View” podcast, Kelsey explained to WNBA legend Sue Bird why she demanded a trade from the team where she spent her first seven WNBA seasons.
“Every year, and you come back, and you’re like playing on a great team, you’re willing to sacrifice, do whatever it takes, but I think there’s a point where you start to feel like you’re underappreciated…I kind of just felt I needed a fresh start. I needed a fresh start personally. I needed a fresh start professionally, and I felt like my growth was kind of capped in Vegas,” Kelsey pointed out.
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Her development was stunted in Vegas
According to Plum, a lot unfolded for her last season, both on and off the court, leaving her feeling like she needed a fresh start, not just professionally, but personally, too.
Outside the court, Plum filed for divorce from husband Darren Waller, and it took a heavy toll on her. While she credited the Aces for supporting her throughout the ordeal, Kelsey said she was devastated and played through it last season.
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On the court, KP felt like there was so much more that she could do, but because she played on a great team like the Aces, she had to make sacrifices and carve out a specific niche. The longer it went, the more she felt her individual growth was stunted.
“I could finish my career in Vegas and probably could be an All-Star a couple more times, try to go back and win championships. But like, can I ever reach the capacity on the player that I know that I can be? I know I have a lot more in the tank, and I know that I can lead. And the opportunity is not here,” she added.
Kelsey has bloomed in Los Angeles
Well, it’s safe to say she found that opportunity in Los Angeles. Playing a career-high 35.5 minutes per game for Lynne Roberts, Kelsey currently leads the Sparks in scoring at 20.0 points per game while averaging career-highs in rebounds (3.3 per game) and assists (6.1 per game).
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Unfortunately for the Sparks, 2024 No.2 overall pick Cameron Brink has played just seven games this season due to injuries, and the team is just 16-17 on the year and next to last in the Western Conference table. However, Los Angeles sits only 3.5 games back of the No. 2 seed Phoenix Mercury and just half a game behind the Seattle Storm for the 8th and final playoff spot in 2025.
It’s unclear if Los Angeles can make a playoff run this season, but as Kelsey said, the pieces are there for the Sparks in Brink, Rickea Jackson and Dearica Hamby. It’s just a matter of getting healthy and finding their chemistry. With Kelsey not yet in her prime at only 30 years old, there’s plenty of basketball to prove her worth and reach her full potential.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 16, 2025, where it first appeared.