Kelsey Plum said she felt caught in the Spider-Man "multiverse" as she was introduced as the newest member of the Phoenix Mercury on Monday evening, saying it feels as though she's operating in a few different dimensions at once.
Only the fourth All-Star in WNBA history to be traded at the midseason deadline, Plum joined the Mercury in Chicago late Sunday night after traveling from Portland, Oregon, where her former team, the Los Angeles Sparks, were playing the Fire. Less than 24 hours later, she was suiting up to make her Phoenix debut.
"I was overwhelmed," Plum said. "All of this happened very fast [and it was] very unexpected. ... It's been a crazy 48 hours but to be received like that by my teammates, from the staff, from the organization, I'm just super grateful. I can't say how thankful I am to go out there and compete tonight."
Plum would end up scoring 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench, which included a go-ahead 3 with less than a minute left in Phoenix's 106-101 win over the Sky.
Phoenix general manager Nick U'Ren said Plum, a five-time All-Star and two-time WNBA champion, was someone the organization had coveted for a long time. The trade to get her, which saw Phoenix send Monique Akoa Makani, a 2027 first-round pick and a 2028 second-rounder to the Sparks, was a result of "weeks and weeks of relationships and discussions," U'Ren said.
Entering the trade deadline, U'Ren didn't want to label the Mercury as to whether they'd look to add or subtract players, but when the opportunity to land Plum came about, he "wanted to be aggressive in getting her here as early as possible."
Plum, who is on a one-year contract, will still become a free agent this offseason. Sources told ESPN that Plum plans on going through the entire free agency process, but Phoenix could be in the mix.
"I'm excited to add her to our current group, and we hope we're building something that she'll be a part of for a long time," U'Ren said. "The chance to get Kelsey in our four walls and have her feel what we're about -- our staff, our players, our organizational dynamic -- was really important to us."
Said Plum: "As far as the long-term stuff, it sounds cliché, but I am just where my feet are."
Plum joins a Phoenix team looking to make a playoff push. The Mercury sit a few spots out of the postseason picture in 11th place, 6½ games behind the New York Liberty, who occupy the eighth and final seed.
Last season, the Mercury made the WNBA Finals but were swept by the Las Vegas Aces.
U'Ren said Plum's ability to stretch the court, the force she puts on the paint, her ability to get to the rim and playmaking will automatically help the team be more competitive on a nightly basis.
"She sets a tone from so many levels in terms of her professionalism, the work she puts into her body, her mind, her game," U'Ren said, "And in my opinion, those are things that have gravity in a building that other people can pick up on."
There's an understanding that not everything the Mercury want to accomplish over the next two months falls on Plum's shoulders, but there is also confidence she will be able to easily jell with the preexisting roster, which is centered on Kahleah Copper and Alyssa Thomas.
"I'm coming in being very adaptable ... having a level of humility," Plum said. "[Copper and Thomas] are great players and they play with great players. So I'm trying to learn fast and not make the same mistake twice. I have to trust my instincts. ... I've played with a lot of great players before so it's just being decisive. ... It'll come easier than people expect."
Plum played for USA Basketball with Copper and Thomas, with Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts serving as an assistant coach. Plum hoped that familiarity would guide as she plays her first games in a Phoenix uniform.
Her Mercury debut was also her first game back since sustaining a left lower leg injury June 21, adding another dimension to Plum's multiverse.
Plum joked pregame that having only one full practice since her injury -- with the Sparks -- and having only a few hours of prep time with the Mercury would make for a "cocktail of success" in her first game with Phoenix.
"At the end of the day, basketball is basketball. You throw it up, and you do what you do. Don't try to complicate it," Plum said. "I've watched film on them, I've studied the playbook ... so I'm as prepared as I can be."