WNBA moves: three names

Kelsey Plum, Sophie Cunningham and Skylar Diggins all stayed on the free-agent board for only a few days before landing back with Los Angeles, Indiana and Chicago in the WNBA’s new-payroll offseason. (sports.yahoo.com) The Los Angeles Sparks announced on April 12 that Plum re-signed after arriving in a three-team trade on February 1, 2025, and the team said terms were not disclosed. ESPN reported the deal is for one year and $999,999. (wnba.com) (espn.com) Indiana announced on April 12 that Cunningham agreed to a new contract for 2026 after being acquired from Phoenix before the 2025 season. ESPN reported it is a one-year deal, and the Fever said Cunningham shot 43.2% from three-point range in 2025, third-best in the league. (fever.wnba.com) (espn.com) Chicago announced on April 11 that it signed Diggins, a seven-time All-Star and six-time All-WNBA selection, with terms undisclosed. The Sky said Diggins carries career averages of 16.4 points and 5.3 assists and ranks sixth in league history in assists per game. (sky.wnba.com) (wnba.com) These deals are being made under a new collective bargaining agreement announced March 20 that lifts the 2026 team salary cap to $7.0 million from $1.5 million in 2025. The league said the year-one maximum salary rises to $1.4 million and average salaries will exceed $583,000. (wnba.com) That pay structure helps explain the short-term shape of this market. Yahoo Sports called this an “unprecedented” free-agency period, and Plum’s reported $999,999 contract puts her just below the first $1 million salary in league history. (sports.yahoo.com) (espn.com) For Los Angeles, keeping Plum preserves the centerpiece it brought home in the 2025 blockbuster that also sent Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas. The Sparks said Plum set a league record for points in a season opener and in a team debut with 37 on May 16, 2025. (sparks.wnba.com) (wnba.com) For Indiana, Cunningham’s return keeps another veteran around Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston after the Fever’s 2025 run to the semifinals. ESPN said Cunningham joined Kelsey Mitchell and Lexie Hull among Fever free agents who came back, while the team credited her with 13 points and seven rebounds in the 2025 Commissioner’s Cup title game. (espn.com) (fever.wnba.com) For Chicago, Diggins gives first-year coach Tyler Marsh a veteran lead guard days after the Sky opened free agency with other major roster changes. Yahoo Sports reported on April 13 that Chicago had traded Angel Reese to Atlanta, and the Sky said Diggins’ deal was announced April 11. (sports.yahoo.com) (sky.wnba.com) The WNBA draft was held April 13, and free agency opened with teams spending against a cap nearly five times larger than last season’s. Three of the weekend’s clearest signals were simple: Los Angeles kept Plum, Indiana kept Cunningham, and Chicago moved fast for Diggins. (wnba.com) (sports.yahoo.com)