RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Newsweek — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 2 sources
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Kelsey Plum will wait longer before returning to the court for her new team.
Plum played four games for the Phoenix Mercury before missing Tuesday's win over the Los Angeles Sparks, who traded her earlier this month, with a lower left leg injury. The five-time All-Star was sidelined since June 21 with a leg issue before the blockbuster deal.
Per The Athletic's Annie Costabile , Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts said Friday that Plum will miss Sunday's game against the Portland Fire. The team will reevaluate Plum to determine if she can return for their next game against the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 22.
Plum was a limited participant in Friday's practice, conducting some conditioning drills but not competing in five-on-five action with the team.
Plum was averaging a career-high 23.9 points and 6.4 assists per game before the Sparks made her the fourth WNBA All-Star ever to be dealt in a midseason trade. Los Angeles received guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-rounder.
The two-time champion didn't show much rust after missing more than a month, as Plum scored 64 combined points in her first three games with the Mercury. Plum played just 14 minutes before exiting Sunday's 95-75 loss to the Washington Mystics.
"We wanted to be safe," Tibbetts said after Sunday's game, via ESPN.com . "We'll just see in the next couple days how it looks."
The 13-22 Mercury must play at least one more game without Plum when they host the Fire on Sunday. ESPN will air the matchup at 7 p.m. ET.
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.