Aces much-hated trade deadline move may have been a stroke of genius

The Las Vegas Aces are on a heater right now as the 2025 WNBA regular season is nearing a close. Less than a month ago, it seemed like this team just could not get a winning streak going — but after one shrewd move at the trade deadline, things have absolutely changed.

Las Vegas has won their last seven straight games. They have also won nine of their last 10 matchups. This has propelled them up the WNBA standings, where they currently sit at No. 5 with a 21-14 overall record. Some believe this recent change in trajectory could have been fueled by a midseason trade that wasn't too popular at the time.

In late June, the Aces traded their first-round pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft to the Dallas Wings in exchange for former No. 2 overall pick NaLyssa Smith. Since being drafted in 2022 by the Indiana Fever, Smith has been fairly consistent. But when she started the season in Dallas, we did not necessarily see the NaLyssa Smith we had seen in Indy: Before being traded, Smith was averaging 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game with the Wings.

It's no secret that Dallas has struggled this season, so a trade was expected before the deadline. But that does not mean both players and fans were not shocked.

NaLyssa Smith has been on a tear since being traded

Firstly, Smith's reaction and emotions regarding the trade were made apparent with a post from her directly.

Smith was caught by surprise and understandably upset about the trade. She later posted a second time expressing her excitement to join Las Vegas, even referring to Aces star A'ja Wilson as her "goat."

Not everyone was excited about this move, but despite the backlash from fans and others, the Aces may have been onto something. Since Smith was added to the lineup, the Aces have gone 13-6. They are seemingly playing like the Aces team fans remember from prior years. Now, we cannot credit all their recent success to Smith, but I do think her addition, mixed with the frustration of losing, fueled some Aces players — specifically Wilson, who has been playing lights out recently.

Smith has become an important part of this Las Vegas squad. She has been playing more minutes than she did with Dallas, averaging 22.5 minutes per game with the Aces. She is also averaging 7.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game right now. We have also seen Smith's first three double-doubles of the season since arriving in Vegas; she had not recorded one in Dallas. One came in a close Aces win against another playoff contender, the Seattle Storm, where Smith put up 10 points and 12 rebounds.

She has been immediately embraced by her new teammates and is playing with an energy and light that we had not necessarily seen this season. Some might say she came to Vegas at the perfect time, just when it seemed like they needed both of those attributes. Now, they have a new weapon to further their chances at a playoff run.

Smith's feelings on the trade have also seemingly become more positive. After the Aces took the 106-87 win against her former team on Sunday, she took to X again with a message to Wings General Manager Curt Miller.