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A’ja Wilson’s voice was impossible to miss from the back of the room.
“Y’all got me waiting on a rookie?” she yelled incredulously, and jokingly, as she interrupted one of the last answers that rookie second-round draft pick Aaliyah Nye was giving reporters for the first WNBA media day of her career.
“Just one more question!” a giggling Nye yelled back.
Once Nye cleared the hot seat for Wilson, the three-time WNBA MVP’s presence had already drawn a slew of new cameras. She wore a bright pink wig to match her new Nike signature shoe, paired with colorful friendship bracelets.
“Media days, I feel like it’s my last day to kind of just be, like, ‘Wooo! Season’s starting!’ before I really lock into it,” Wilson said.
Once her time was up, she let out one more enthusiastic scream before she left the room.
Throughout the Aces’ third media day at Vu Studios, a large production facility in Las Vegas, Wilson’s teammates expressed similar excitement for the upcoming season — from jokes about locker room shenanigans, to hailing the squad’s championship potential with new star Jewell Loyd and returning core players Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young.
One more cut
For coach Becky Hammon and team president Nikki Fargas, however, it was all business. The front office leaders repeatedly lamented the league’s roster maximum of 12 players, which will force the Aces to make one more cut before the May 15 deadline.
Although the team has 14 players, veteran forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus won’t be included against the final count because she’s pregnant. The league’s pregnancy/childbirth exception allows teams to hold an extra player on their roster as a replacement.
When Parker-Tyus returns later this season, the Aces will have to waive someone to make room.
The difficult roster-building aspect for the Aces is that backup center Megan Gustafson was hurt during training camp, which means the team is obligated to pay her salary while she recovers.
“The league only allows us to carry 12 on the roster, and so we are very hopeful and look forward to getting (Gustafson) back,” Fargas said. “We’re going to lean in on playing a little bit of small ball in order to buy us some time until we get (Gustafson) back.”
The Aces don’t qualify for the league’s hardship exemption, which allows teams to sign a relief player when multiple players are unavailable, because the roster has to fall to 10 players or below, Fargas said.
Hammon the GM?
With new additions in Nye, forward Crystal Bradford, 2024 draftee Liz Kitley, veteran guard Tiffany Mitchell and reserve guard Dana Evans, the Aces seem to have stronger backup options than last season.
When asked if the depth of talent on the Aces’ roster provides more rotation options, Hammon was blunt.
“I’m trying to win games. I’m gonna play whoever I think is going to help us win games, period. That’s my job,” she said. “However, my bench isn’t getting any longer, because we can still only have 12 players. But I do see some positive things.
“The last couple years we’ve had the Sixth Player of the Year. I think we’re going to have it again. I just don’t know which one.”
A Hall of Fame coach, Hammon also notably did not rebuff a question that referred to her as the Aces’ acting general manager.
“(Fargas) does all the stuff I don’t want to do, which is, like, jump on phone calls, talk to all these people. I’m a basketball person. Keep me in my lane,” Hammon said. “We were definitely a good tag team in that aspect (this offseason).”
When asked directly if it was safe to say the Aces will not be hiring a general manager anytime soon, Fargas confirmed the Aces are not involved in any kind of search for a front office addition.
“Yes, I think we’re in a good rhythm. I think we know everybody’s role and responsibilities,” Fargas said. “Obviously there’s more to a (general manager’s) responsibility than just a roster. There’s so many other things that you have to be aware of and on top of. And it’s just been a great opportunity for us to talk through what the future is going to look like. … We’re so happy with what we were able to do this offseason.”
Fargas said the biggest triumph was adding “experienced” players. She credited Hammon’s new staff of assistants for some of the scouting, and they will likely be instrumental in the decision-making behind the Aces’ looming final cut.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
