PHOENIX (AP) — The Phoenix Mercury were honoring Diana Taurasi a few weeks ago when the franchise great turned toward Kelsey Plum, who was sitting just a few feet away. Taurasi broke into a wide grin, then said three words — drawing them out for effect.“Sign the extension,” she said as more than 16,000 fans in the arena roared.No pressure, Kelsey.It’s been a disappointing season for the Mercury, who will miss the playoffs one year after playing in the WNBA Finals and have a 13-26 record through Thursday’s games. But there’s a fair degree of optimism around the franchise these days and that’s because of the blockbuster trade that brought Plum to the desert on Aug. 2.The 32-year-old and five-time All-Star is still in the prime of her career and could give the Mercury a new franchise cornerstone. There’s only one catch: She’s a free agent at the end of this season and gets to choose where she’ll play in 2027.
Plum didn’t say if Taurasi’s endorsement will affect her decision to sign an extension in Phoenix — but it sure didn’t seem to hurt.“D.T. was the reason I started playing basketball,” Plum said. “So that was kind of a full circle moment.”Plum made her home debut with the Mercury on Tuesday in a 94-84 loss to the Washington Mystics, coming off the bench to score 10 points over 17 minutes. The 5-foot-8 guard has nursed a calf injury for much of the past few months and will likely be on a minutes restriction for the rest of the season.
