Kelsey Plum’s 2026 campaign has been a story told through her left leg. From a sprained ankle in late May to the calf tightness that has nagged her ever since, the narrative around her season has circled back to injury again and again.
Now, another piece of bad news regarding Plum has been revealed, and this time, the WNBA world is not at all happy.
Kelsey Plum Is Out for the Remaining Part of the 2026 Season
Plum will not return for the rest of the 2026 WNBA season as she continues recovering from the injury.
Her setback will also keep her out of the Team USA roster for the upcoming FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Sonia Citron of the Washington Mystics will take Plum’s place on the national team roster.
The news was shared on social media by ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
“Breaking: Kelsey Plum will miss the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season as she continues to recover from a lower leg injury, the Phoenix Mercury announced. She appeared in just five games and played 105 minutes for Phoenix after being moved from Los Angeles at the trade deadline.”
Breaking: Kelsey Plum will miss the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season as she continues to recover from a lower leg injury, the Phoenix Mercury announced. She appeared in just five games and played 105 minutes for Phoenix after being moved from Los Angeles at the trade deadline.
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) August 31, 2026
The latest news has understandably left the WNBA world disappointed, particularly after Plum’s impressive offensive start to the season with the Los Angeles Sparks.
Plum had been playing on an expiring one-year deal and was headed for unrestricted free agency after the 2026 season. She suited up for just 12 games in a Sparks uniform before being shipped to Phoenix in exchange for guard Monique Akoa Makani, the Mercury’s 2027 first-round pick, and a 2028 second-round pick.
As the news broke, one user simply declared, “(The Sparks won the trade).”
(The Sparks won the trade)
— christan (no i), ß (@ChristanWNBA) August 31, 2026
Since arriving in Phoenix at the deadline, Plum has appeared in just five games, logging a total of 105 minutes. In that limited stretch, she still managed to average 15.8 points, 2.8 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game.
One account didn’t hold back. They bluntly stated that Phoenix had given up tomorrow for almost nothing today.
“Phoenix [expletive] traded away a path for the future for not even a handful of KP games,” they said, whereas another one wrote, “Mercury gave up Akoa-Makani for Plum. Best believe Plum isn’t returning to Phoenix next season…. What a dumb trade.”
Phoenix deadass traded away a path for the future for not even a handful of KP games https://t.co/1KoCP75eQt
— CJ (@thecjstory) August 31, 2026
One user expressed sympathy for Plum by writing, “Sad to see but makes sense. Rest up KP. Her start to the season was special offensively.”
Before joining Phoenix, Plum played 12 games with the Sparks and averaged 23.9 points per game. Those numbers made her injury particularly difficult for the WNBA world to accept.
Sad to see but makes sense. Rest up KP. Her start to the season was special offensively. https://t.co/4AwyjQ20Tv
— AllTheTime (@Potomac2001) August 31, 2026
For now, the priority is Plum’s recovery. The Mercury may have lost one of their key additions, while Team USA will also have to adjust without her, but fans across the WNBA will be hoping Plum can return healthy and ready to go in 2027.
