Diana Taurasi urges Kelsey Plum to stay in Phoenix as Mercury target extension
· Yahoo Sports
Diana Taurasi knows how fast fortunes flip in the modern WNBA, and keeping Kelsey Plum in Phoenix long-term is front and center in that vision.
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Kelsey Plum joined Phoenix just before the trade deadline in a blockbuster deal, bringing another heavy-hitter alongside Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper.
She made her Mercury debut on a minutes restriction and hit the ground running, but has since been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a leg issue.
Her contract situation is where things get interesting, as she’s playing out a unique one-year, $999,999 deal. While she’s set to test unrestricted free agency, Phoenix holds her bird rights, meaning they can offer a lucrative supermax extension if she chooses to stay.
Diana Taurasi sees a future with Kelsey Plum in Phoenix
Diana Taurasi knows firsthand how fast WNBA rosters shift these days. Between modern free agency and the way the current CBA works, teams can turn things around in a hurry. For Phoenix, that means keeping Kelsey Plum alongside Alyssa Thomas and Kahleah Copper isn’t just an option, it’s the whole plan.
Speaking on the situation at Phoenix, she said: “I think now with, you know, that was 20 years ago, the way the league is set up now with the CBA and you know, free agency. You know, you’re never as far as you think and you’re never as close as you think. You know, eight, nine months ago, we’re playing in the WNBA final. Right.
“So we’re close, obviously, when you have talent like, you know, AT and Ka and hopefully with, you know, Plum extending, which would be the plan. I mean, that’s three of the top ten players in the league. Right. So we’re really close. And then it’s just putting great pieces around them and making sure, you know, everyone’s on the same page.
“Because at the end of the day, you’ll never have the opportunity to put two seasons together to be that bad, hopefully. I don’t think we’re in the business of doing that.”
Under the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, a supermax starting figure sits around $1.4 million annually (20% of the $7 million team salary cap). If she receives a standard veteran max instead, that starts around $1.19 million to $1.22 million per year (17.5% of the cap).
However, giving Plum a supermax alongside Copper and Thomas means three players would devour over half of Phoenix’s payroll. So the trade-off isn’t whether they can sign her, but how tight the purse strings get for roles four through 12, making cheap veteran deals and draft hits essential.
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