Aces put ‘core’ designation on pending All-Star free agent

The Aces placed the “core” designation on All-Star guard and unrestricted free agent Kelsey Plum on Saturday.

The designation works like the NFL franchise tag, providing WNBA players with a fully guaranteed, one-year supermax contract worth $249,244, while taking away their ability to sign with another team directly.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Plum will return to the Aces this season, but it does ensure the team will receive compensation if a deal is made for her to leave.

Plum, 30, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2017, is a two-time WNBA champion and three-time All-Star with the Aces. She averaged 17.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 0.7 steals last season while shooting 36.8 percent on 3-pointers.

Teams can only use one core designation per year. Outside of Plum, the rest of the Aces’ “Core Four” — A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young — are signed through the upcoming season.

Ahead of the Golden State Valkyries’ expansion draft last month, Aces coach Becky Hammon essentially made the case for Plum as a core player. Former general manager Natalie Williams, whom the Aces have still yet to replace, previously indicated that Plum was offered an extension but declined it.

“We love Kelsey Plum. There’s no doubt about that,” Hammon said. “(We’re) just giving her space, and she’s evaluating where she is in her career. We’re going to get to a position where, hopefully, everybody’s happy, but we certainly value Kelsey. I don’t think we win two championships without her. So she’s definitely an integral part of our organization.”

Plum hasn’t spoken publicly about her desired destination since the Aces’ season ended.

Potential trade

In 2020, Skylar Diggins-Smith was traded to the Phoenix Mercury after the Dallas Wings gave her a core designation in the previous month. To acquire the now-six-time All-Star, Phoenix sent Dallas the No. 5 and No. 7 overall picks in the 2020 WNBA draft and a 2021 first-round pick.

Value like that in a trade for Plum would be beneficial for the Aces. The team doesn’t have a first-round pick in 2025 after the WNBA rescinded it after finding the Aces violated league rules in the investigation surrounding Dearica Hamby’s complaints of pregnancy discrimination and impermissible benefits. A subsequent lawsuit filed by Hamby is still ongoing.

The Aces have their second and third-round picks this year, along with an extra second-rounder via a previous trade with the Washington Mystics in 2023.

Other scenarios

Two other recent scenarios inform what can happen after a player is cored, but both seem unlikely to apply to Plum.

Reigning WNBA Finals MVP Breanna Stewart received a core qualifying offer from the New York Liberty last year, and players can only be cored twice in their career.

After the Liberty won the title in October, Stewart made it clear she intended to remain with the Liberty. But the team is reportedly planning to utilize the designation on her again this offseason to give her more power to play where she wants later in her career.

Last year, the Washington Mystics gave Elena Delle Donne the core designation, but she declined to sign the supermax offer. The Mystics couldn’t trade her, and she decided to take time away from basketball. The two-time MVP and six-time All-Star hasn’t played in the WNBA since 2023.

Although Plum is spending the offseason away from organized basketball, the idea of her taking a WNBA season off seems out of the question.

She has regularly posted on social media about her workouts and skill development efforts in recent weeks. Fans might just have to wait until February to learn where she’ll land.

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