Valkyries stand pat at WNBA trade deadline, express confidence in current group: ‘Don’t mess with it’

SAN FRANCISCO — The WNBA trade deadline was an active one for Golden State, deal or no deal.

Ultimately, it was one defined by internal confidence and inaction amid the intrigue of moves that could have been made but were not.

The Valkyries were at the center of trade rumors for about a week leading up to the actual deadline at noon on Sunday, most of them centered around Los Angeles Sparks guard Kelsey Plum.

But the expansion Toronto Tempo visit Chase Center on Sunday evening, and Plum will not be suiting up for the Valks.

Golden State took a hard look at its roster and determined that it was comfortable competing for a championship with the current group.

“When you have a great culture and great chemistry, you just don’t mess with it,” coach Natalie Nakase said. “It’s something that’s very rare in sports.

“I’m sure you guys have felt that with teams that you’ve seen win and have gone on to become dynasties, right? There’s something special about it. There’s a selflessness, there’s a care factor, there’s team before self mentality, and I think right now where we’re at, we have that right now.”

Instead, Plum is joining the Phoenix Mercury, who acquired her late Saturday night for second-year guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-round pick.

Toronto coach Sandy Brondello has won two championships across 27 years coaching in the WNBA. She said she sees championship characteristics in Golden State’s unchanged group and wasn’t surprised they didn’t make a move.

“Why not?” Brondello said. “Winning a championship is really hard. Been in this league for so long, and I’ve won two. But I think they have the depth. You have good health. That certainly helps.

“Going into the playoffs, you need a little bit of luck, and you just have to be playing your best basketball at the right time. There’s a lot of great teams playing well at the moment. Obviously the Minnesota Lynx are ahead of them, but their style is a little bit different. They’re very gritty and a defensive team. So it’s going to be interesting how the season ends.”

Plum’s trade to Phoenix concluded a saga that included reports on Thursday that Golden State was hesitant to part with rotation players in exchange for the 31-year-old Sparks star and Southern California native.

On Saturday, it was reported that the New York Liberty were also looking to trade for Plum, who will be a free agent after the season. Ultimately, it was Phoenix, a team largely off the league’s radar, that surrendered assets and made the deal.

The Valkyries were also up against the salary cap, with only $148,440 in space available – about half the cost of a minimum contract. So any move would have required exchanging a similar amount of contract money to remain below the cap.

Plum’s cap hold is $999,999.

That likely meant losing multiple key contributors to make the math work. Ultimately, it was a cost Golden State wasn’t willing to pay for a player who could be only a midseason rental.

Plum was expected to return to the court Sunday after being sidelined since June 21 because of a lower left leg injury. Before the injury, Plum was averaging 23.9 points and 6.4 assists per game.

With the Valkyries, Plum was under consideration to elevate an offense that ranks near the bottom of the league in scoring.

She is also familiar with Golden State coach Natalie Nakase, who was on Becky Hammon’s coaching staff in Las Vegas when the All-Star helped the Aces win back-to-back titles in 2022 and ‘23.

Plum was dealt to the Sparks before last season after requesting a trade from the Aces. She later said she felt “underappreciated” on Vegas’ super team featuring fellow All-Stars Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and multi-time MVP A’ja Wilson.

It has been an open question since the end of last season if the Valkyries need a player like Plum to win the championship. They signed Gabby Williams, who developed into the second-year franchise’s first All-Star starter, in free agency but did not land a marquee established superstar like Plum or Bay Area native Sabrina Ionescu.

On Wednesday, with Williams sidelined, Golden State held a 13-point lead late in the third quarter but cooled off down the stretch as Phoenix won 91-89.

It mirrored their performance in Game 3 of the WNBA playoffs opening round against Minnesota last season, when the Valkyries held multiple large leads but could not put the game away late and were eliminated via sweep in San Jose.

Now in third place in the WNBA and chasing the Lynx for the top seed, Golden State will see if its current roster makeup is enough to compete at the highest level.

It was a quiet trade deadline across the league overall, with high-profile players like Napheesa Collier, Arike Ogunbowale and Alanna Smith not leaving their teams despite persistent rumors.

Golden State has now gone through its first two trade deadlines without making a move.

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