It’s time for the Las Vegas Aces to return to the drawing board.
The Aces had set the standard for constructing a championship team core. But failure to adapt and a lack of agility cost the franchise a third consecutive title.
In recent years, Las Vegas capitalized on a good draft strategy (plus some luck) and filled the roster with No. 1 draft picks Kelsey Plum (2017), A’ja Wilson (2019) and Jackie Young (2019). The front office then built the remaining pieces with acquisitions like Chelsea Gray, Alysha Clark and Sydney Colson in free agency. With Becky Hammon’s coaching, the Aces created a working system of talent that bulldozed its way through the league.
Las Vegas was sound on both ends of the floor, answering anything teams threw its way. For a while, it worked rather well. The Aces got back-to-back championships out of it. But this year, even an MVP season from Wilson wasn’t enough to secure a third. It became evident that teams adjusted, and Las Vegas, with few answers, found itself out of the playoffs. “We’ve never done exit meetings. We’ve done exit partying,” Hammon recently said after falling to the Liberty. (Warning: NSFW language)
Becky Hammon was asked about potential offseason moves:
“It’s not going to be the same group probably next year, it just won’t. And I’m sad about that because I really liked that group […]”#AllInLV #WNBA | 🎥: @LVAces pic.twitter.com/8rltl7ehwZ
— Isabelle (@IsabelleMM2) October 6, 2024
“You gotta make the moves necessary. Whatever that means,” Hammon continued. “The best product that we possibly can. It’s not [going] to be the same group probably next year. It just won’t.”
Hammon’s correct. Las Vegas can’t afford for it to look the same.
General Manager Natalie Williams will have some decisions to make. Plum, Clark, Colson and Sixth Player of the Year Tiffany Hayes will all be free agents in 2025. After a subpar year and somewhat declining production since 2022, it’s possible that Plum could have played her last game in an Aces jersey. Clark and Colson are both at the tail end of their careers, leaving it unclear if they continue to play. Additionally, Hayes came out of retirement to join the team, leaving her status for next season up in the air.
@CallieJLaw & @dominicjlavoie unpack the Aces loss to the New York Liberty in the Playoffs, the Aces 2024 season, and what needs to happen in the off-season. #ALLINLV #WNBA
STORY: https://t.co/7FjCft3Ggl pic.twitter.com/WZZ70gWL13— Las Vegas Review-Journal (@reviewjournal) October 7, 2024
That doesn’t even consider decisions made ahead of the upcoming Golden State Expansion Draft, where Vegas could lose players or that the Aces need another big, preferably a center or a stretch four, behind Wilson to help replace some of her production when she’s not on the floor.
Vegas did draft Elizabeth Kitley in April, but Kitley, rehabbing from a torn ACL in March, missed the entire year. Having her immediately slide behind Wilson after missing basketball for 12 or more months might not be ideal. So, free agency moves and the 2025 draft could prove paramount in helping to shape Las Vegas’ bench with Kitley.
Ultimately, Las Vegas would be fooling itself if it didn’t admit out loud that the organization is no longer the league’s benchmark and then make moves that support that notion. Undoubtedly, the field has adjusted. Top talent alone isn’t enough to bring another trophy home, and if the Aces aren’t careful, it could be years before the thrill of lifting a trophy is felt again.