Las Vegas Aces projected starting lineup after Jewell Loyd trade

A blockbuster WNBA trade between the Las Vegas Aces, Los Angeles Sparks, and Seattle Storm on Sunday kickstarted what is set to be an exciting free agency and trading period for the W.

While the Las Vegas Aces departed with franchise icon and fan-favorite guard Kelsey Plum, they welcomed another legend to Sin City to take her place: 10-year veteran and perennial All Star guard Jewell Loyd.

Although the Aces had to give up their first round selection in next year's draft, they did move back up to No. 13 for this year. Las Vegas is built to win right now, and adding a great player and an immediate draft pick may help this organization achieve their goals more than a future pick will.

Obviously, the bones of this team will stay the same as a majority of the starting lineup is set to return. However, Plum does leave a hole in the starting five and several other key contributors are set to test free agency.

Las Vegas Aces projected starting lineup

PG: Chelsea Gray
SG: Jewell Loyd
SF: Jackie Young
PF: A'ja Wilson
C: Megan Gustafson

Bench: Kiah Stokes, Alysha Clark, Ayoka Lee*, Rori Harmon*
*Rookie

Chelsea Gray, the Point God, returns to Las Vegas in 2025 as the starting point guard. Her absence at the beginning of last season hurt the Aces and the team struggled to find their rhythm early on. With her seemingly back healthy for a full season, expect her to return to her 2023 form when she was Second-Team All-WNBA.

Jewell Loyd is the new addition to this solidified Aces starting lineup. The veteran shooting guard has spent the last decade as a legendary member of the Seattle Storm, and she will bring her nearly 20 points per game of scoring to Las Vegas. Loyd has also won two WNBA championships, so her winning pedigree fits in nicely with a title-hungry team.

Jackie Young was a force for both the Aces and the women's Olympic team last season. She continues to be one of the most effective yet underrated pieces of the winningest teams in women's basketball. With more of an expanded ball handling role expected in the absence of Plum, I would not be shocked to see Young end up on an All-WNBA team again this season. The more the ball is in her hands, the better.

What more is there to say about A'ja Wilson? She is the consensus best player in the WNBA and has won three of the last five MVP awards. The scary part is that she is still improving as a player. If she can adjust quickly to the presence of Loyd and absence of Plum, she should have another stellar campaign and be the main catalyst for a championship-contending team.

Megan Gustafson enters the starting lineup in place of Kiah Stokes after having the better season in 2024. She averaged over twice as many points in nearly half the minutes, which is grounds for an increase in minutes. Having her out on the floor provides more spacing and shooting for the Aces, which gives Wilson more opportunities for isolations in the paint.

Stokes still figures to be a part of the rotation and should play more when the opposing team employs two-big lineups. Clark is a free agent but should resign in an expanded role with Vegas as Tiffany Hayes is likely to depart for another franchise.

Given that Las Vegas now has two picks at the beginning of the second round, they can add Ayoka Lee, a 6'6" dominant big from Kansas State, and a do-it-all guard in Rori Harmon from Texas. These two likely will not see much floor time but could be understudies to Wilson and Gray, which benefits the franchise's future greatly.