Aces hope offseason changes send message they are back at a championship level

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HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Sitting next to new addition Jewell Loyd and semi new addition Liz Kitley, Aces coach Becky Hammon said Tuesday she couldn’t “wait for April.”

That’s when Hammon can get back in the team facility and begin working with Loyd, Kitley and the other Aces as they try to return Las Vegas to championship form.

Last season was a disappointment by the Aces’ lofty standards. The team that won WNBA championships in 2022 and 2023 seldom looked like their usual selves. They entered the playoffs as the fourth seed and lost in four games to the eventual champion New York Liberty in the semifinals.

Hammon’s mood was quite different that Oct. 6 night after being eliminated 76-62, saying she knew that changes were coming.

They indeed have.

“We had a great run with that group, but we weren’t good,” Hammon said Tuesday. “We fell short last year, and we didn’t get what we wanted. That requires pruning. It’s very uncomfortable, but sometimes necessary. I feel really good about the group that we have. There’s a hunger. There’s a vibe.”

The most notable change was the Jan. 26 three-team trade that sent Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks and brought Loyd from the Storm. She had played in Seattle since being drafted in 2015, helped the Storm win two WNBA championships and last season averaged 19.7 points and 4.5 rebounds.

There is a familiarity for Loyd in Las Vegas. She played on last summer’s Olympic gold medal team with three current Aces.

“This is such a blessing and honor to be part of the Aces,” Loyd said. “I didn’t think it would actually happen. I walked right through the door. The smile hasn’t left my face since.”

Kitley is thrilled to get back on the court after sitting out all of last season after tearing her ACL last March at Virginia Tech, ending the college career for the three-time Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year.

The injury to the 6-foot-6 center scared off many teams on draft night, but the Aces selected her 24th.

“Kitley’s about as close as we can get to a No. 1 through 5 pick,” Hammon said.

Kitley got to learn the system in her year of recovery and now will get to play in the frontcourt next to three-time and reigning MVP A’ja Wilson. Because of Wilson’s presence, the Aces won’t need Kitley to carry the team.

“With that comes less pressure, but it’s a different kind of pressure because you have to prove yourself in smaller ways,” Kitley said. “I think it’s really challenging, but also cool and exciting.”

It won’t be long before the Aces know if these offseason changes orchestrated by Hammon, president Nikki Fargas and vice president of basketball operations Tonya Holley will get them back to that championship level.

“Everybody’s revamped their rosters and it’s a fight,” owner Mark Davis said. “We’re not the defending champions now. The Liberty have the target on their back now, but it’s exciting to bring in some new energy. I think Becky, Nikki and Tonya have done a good job this offseason of restructuring the roster.”

The Aces did it without a general manager after Natalie Williams was fired Oct. 26. Fargas didn’t indicate hiring a new GM was imminent.

Whether that position gets filled or not, the expectations for the Aces remain the same. They plan to have a say in which team wins the WNBA title this season.

That’s largely was this news conference was about. The Aces not only wanted to introduce the players, but send a message to the rest of the league that Las Vegas isn’t going anywhere.

“We’re here to win championships, and these two young ladies understand that demand that Coach Hammon is placing on them,” Fargas said. “I think that they’re going to help us put some more banners in this facility and put some more rings on these players’ fingers.”