The Aces, boasting a WNBA-leading six-game win streak, are hitting their stride with what reigning MVP A’ja Wilson recently called a “whole new group.”

In the midst of all of those victories, it’s easy to forget how their season started — with plenty of social media discourse criticizing the move to trade guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.

In a candid conversation on retired Seattle Storm star Sue Bird’s podcast “Birds Eye View” published Friday, Plum opened up about parting ways with the Aces after seven seasons and two WNBA championships.

Plum confirmed the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s reporting that she requested the trade despite being offered a contract extension, but also offered more details that led to her decision.

“I think that every year you come back and you’re playing on a great team, you’re willing to sacrifice and do whatever it takes. But I think there’s a point where you start to feel underappreciated,” Plum said. “I needed a fresh start personally, I needed a fresh start professionally. And I felt like my growth was kind of capped in Vegas.”

She added that not feeling special on an excellent team can be a common feeling, but cited compounding factors that came into play during the Aces’ 2024 campaign, which ended in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs at the hands of the New York Liberty.

The largest of those factors was her divorce from former Raiders tight end Darren Waller, which Plum told Bird hit her “out of left field.”

“I had to deal with that in the season, which even to this day, I would say I look back now as one of my proudest things — I just played. I showed up and played and I had the best attitude I could, because that was awful to go through. … And you’re dealing with it publicly.”

Plum credited Aces coach Becky Hammon, along with former assistants Tyler Marsh and Natalie Nakase for being her “safe space” throughout the emotional proceedings.

“I’m super grateful because they were not only super supportive, they were like a lockbox,” Plum said. “There were a lot of things that people could have leaked about the situation that they didn’t.”

Feeling valued

Throughout the nearly two-hour conversation with Bird, Plum often revisited the idea of having to prove herself throughout her career.

She was drafted No. 1 by the San Antonio Stars in 2017, which would later move to Las Vegas and draft A’ja Wilson.

Plum said that former coach Bill Laimbeer was blunt early in their relationship in telling her that he intended to trade her for Moriah Jefferson. But Plum persevered and stayed on the roster, winning Sixth Player of the Year for the Aces in 2021.

Laimbeer’s daughter has since told Plum that he is proud of her, which Plum said meant a lot.

But Plum still had to prove herself as a starter when Hammon was hired to take over after the 2021 season, a story that Hammon also told before Plum’s return to Las Vegas on May 30.

As a key player on Hammon’s Aces squad, Plum talked about the joy of the team’s championship in 2022 and how the second a year later was “way harder.”

After that, the sacrifices started to weigh on Plum, as the Aces have famously constructed the rosters of their key players to benefit the organization.

“I want to be here, but I have to take less (money) again,” Plum said. “And then, yeah, I’ll set cross screens and back screens for (Wilson) all day. But you start to feel like, OK, am I becoming the fourth option? And we’re not winning. So that also feels frustrating, and I think there’s egos involved.”

Plum was given the core designation before she was traded, which works like an NFL franchise tag and would’ve guaranteed her the WNBA’s supermax contract for a year.

She was the Aces’ second-leading scorer in 2024 behind Wilson with 17.8 points per game, but it’s understandable that Plum would want more touches. Even this year, Hammon has asserted that it’s difficult to spread the wealth between Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young. Plum was replaced in the trade by former Storm guard Jewell Loyd, who has played the last 10 games off the bench in order to get more shots up as the centerpiece of the second unit.

“I know I have a lot more in the tank and I know I can lead,” Plum said. “The opportunity is not here.”

Plum is currently leading the Sparks (16-17) with 20.2 points and 6.1 assists per game. She’ll meet the Aces again on Sept. 11.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.

Up next

Who: Wings at Aces

When: 12:30 p.m. Sunda

Where: Michelob Ultra Arena

TV: ABC

Radio: KWWN (1100 AM, 100.9 FM)