Patience is a virtue, a virtue that the Sparks will now be forced to appreciate.
Los Angeles’s short-lived bid for contender status has come to an end after trading Kelsey Plum to the Mercury for guard Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder, according to ESPN. In the end, the gamble produced a 31–40 record over two seasons, a fired general manager and a coach seemingly headed for the exit. The Sparks went all-in for a title window that never truly opened.