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With the No. 13 and 35 picks in Monday’s WNBA draft, the Aces know exactly what they’re looking for in a prospect.
The biggest question facing the organization is whether their selections will remain on the team once the season begins.
“The goal is to always build a championship roster, and in doing so, you’re looking not just at what they do statistically,” Aces president Nikki Fargas said Friday. “You also want to make sure that when we decide to bring a young player into our system, does their game translate?”
Fargas remains at the helm of a front office without a general manager. She gave no indication the team plans to begin a search for one, and praised the talent in her “war room” as she outlined a more specific list of qualities the group will prioritize Monday.
The Aces want to welcome players with overall skills who can fit in coach Becky Hammon’s “positionless” system, Fargas said. In addition to being able to spread the floor on offense, those rookies will need to be gritty, comfortable at a fast pace of play, be a “tough-nosed defensive player” and have a high enough IQ to pick up Hammon’s schemes quickly, she added.
While the WNBA has expanded to 13 teams, there will be only 12 picks in the first round of the draft. The Aces don’t have a first-round pick after the league rescinded it following an investigation that found the team violated league rules regarding player benefits in 2023, but Fargas didn’t express any doubt there would still be suitable talent once the Aces are on the clock.
“There’s several players that we’ve identified that carry those characteristics,” she said. “So we’re not necessarily focused on one specific position. We’re definitely focused on bringing the best player who can give us that versatility that you need in this league because of the system that we play.”
Slim odds for roster spot
Last year, the Aces selected Syracuse guard Dyaisha Fair 16th overall, Iowa guard Kate Martin 18th, Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley 24th and Jackson State center Angel Jackson 36th.
Martin and Fair were the only players to make the final training camp cut, but Fair was waived just four games into the season. Martin lasted the entire campaign and was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in December’s expansion draft.
Kitley, who recovered from an ACL injury through the entirety of last season, prepares for this season as the only member of the 2024 draft group still with the Aces.
Despite Fargas’ belief in the 2025 draft class, she acknowledged that training camp will be a difficult process with many cuts once again.
“We’ve got players that are already contracted,” she said. “So it’s not like we have a lot of roster space.”
As such, Fargas said anyone who suits up for the Aces’ season opener will have “to be a competitor.” Although the slim odds to make the team could be distracting, Fargas recommends a perspective shift toward being ready.
“That pro mentality can start now, even when they’re not here,” she said. “Some institutions do prepare their respective players to be able to excel at the next level. I think you’ve got to be a player that can learn on the fly, because training camp is just so short. There’s no time for you to sit out on plays because you don’t know how to run (them).”
Parker-Tyus can help
The opportunity to play with three-time MVP A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and recently traded star Jewell Loyd seems like a key development opportunity to Fargas, but she cited another veteran as a potential resource to help rookies find their sea legs when training camp begins: forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, one of the Aces’ four training camp contract signees the offseason.
Parker-Tyus is pregnant and will miss a majority of the season surrounding her due date in June. She told the Review-Journal that the Aces made it clear they see her as a long-term addition despite her limitations this season, and Fargas’ comments seemed to match that sentiment.
“She’s someone who understands the nuances of the game she’s playing at such a high level. Her perspective in how she sees the game is going to be beneficial,” Fargas said. “Maybe there’s concepts and principles that she’s learned along the way that she can share not only with her teammates, but also with the coaching staff. … That only is going to enhance what we’re trying to do here.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
