The Las Vegas Aces have not been the same team this season that they were when they won back-to-back WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023. In fact, this decline started last season and has been exacerbated by the loss of Kelsey Plum.
Head coach Becky Hammon and her squad also lost key role players like Tiffany Hayes, Alysha Clark and Sydney Colson this offseason, all of whom left in free agency. The team replaced them with Jewell Loyd, Dana Evans and Joyner Holmes while also drafting Aaliyah Nye from Alabama.
After an 8-8 start to the 2025 WNBA season, the Aces traded a 2027 first-round pick to the Dallas Wings on Monday in exchange for fourth-year forward NaLyssa Smith. Her presence could immediately reshuffle the team's starting lineup.
Aces lineup changes after acquiring NaLyssa Smith from Wings
Through 16 games this season, the Aces have trotted out the same starting lineup outside of three games that A'ja Wilson missed with a concussion: Loyd, Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kiah Stokes. After trading for Smith, however, the starting lineup should change.
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Chelsea Gray | Point guard |
Jewell Loyd | Shooting guard |
Jackie Young | Small forward |
A'ja Wilson | Power forward |
NaLyssa Smith | Center |
Bench: Kiah Stokes, Dana Evans, Aaliyah Nye
Stokes can be a solid contributor on a high-level team, but she cannot be relied on as a starter. She is averaging 20.9 minutes per game this season and only contributing 2.2 points and 6.2 rebounds. She is also shooting just 37.5 percent from the floor and 32.5 percent from between three and 10 feet.
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Smith provides an instant upgrade over Stokes, as she was pitching in 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest with the Wings this season. She also shoots much better from the floor at 42.5 percent, including 50.9 percent from between three and 10 feet.
While Smith may not be as good of a shooter as Stokes is, she is at least capable from beyond the arc. Between her stints in Indiana and Dallas, she has started 112 of her 121 career games, and that trend should continue in Las Vegas under head coach Becky Hammon.
An adjustment period will surely be needed, and it is likely that Smith will not start, at least at first. However, as the season progresses, it should become clear that if the Aces want to be back in championship conversatins, Smith should be the clear starter over Stokes.