Everything is going right for the Washington Mystics. They are the youngest team in the W but have firmly established themselves as a playoff hopeful with the eighth-best record and a 4.5-game lead over the ninth-placed Portland Fire—and as a cherry on top, they are likely to get a lottery pick no matter what they do because they have the right to swap picks with the Chicago Sky.
Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, and Shakira Austin are ready for the next level, but the roster is far from complete. The Mystics need more backcourt production, better playmaking, and veteran experience.
Recent reporting suggested that Kelsey Plum’s time in LA is coming to an end after two disappointing seasons.
“Plum signed a one-year deal valued at $999,999 in free agency, but the sense from sources around the league, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not cleared to comment publicly on the matter, is that the 31-year-old guard does not intend to re-sign with the Sparks as a free agent,” Annie Costabile wrote for The Athletic.
So, the Sparks have two options: trade her now to avoid losing her for nothing, or risk her walking away in free agency for a chance to convince her to re-sign after all.
Plum’s status as a soon-to-be unrestricted free agent makes trading for her a gamble, but the Mystics can offer Plum plenty of reasons to consider a long-term stint. In Washington, she would be a top option on offense, a leader on and off the court, and have an opportunity to play for a much more competitive team than the Sparks. Washington is already a potential playoff team now. Just imagine what it could do with a scorer like Plum in the backcourt.
Plum would be a great fit with the Mystics
The Mystics have four players averaging double-digit points this season, but outside of Citron they really lack a go-to scorer and creator in the backcourt. After an ACL tear that cost her her rookie season, Georgia Amoore just isn’t there right now. That puts a lot of pressure on Citron and makes it difficult for the Mystics to create offense at times. They have the third-best defensive rating in the W, but the second-worst offensive rating.
Plum would help alleviate the pressure on Citron in the backcourt and improve the offensive rating. She averaged 23.9 points and 6.4 assists per game before she went down with an injury just twelve games into the season.
That kind of production combined with what Citron, Iriafen, and Austin can do on both ends of the floor would make the Mystics a serious playoff threat instead of a young team that’s a ton of fun to watch as it exceeds expectations.
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