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WNBA front offices have been allowed to contact and negotiate with free agents for more than a week, and the Aces’ priorities are clear.
They shook things up Sunday as part of a blockbuster three-team trade that sent “Core Four” member Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Seattle Storm guard Jewell Loyd.
Now that the dust has settled, the Aces have shifted their focus toward securing proven veterans to support three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson.
Former Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner would have been an interesting addition. The 6-foot-9-inch center explored free agency for the first time in her 10-year career and announced her plans to sign with the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday.
ESPN reported that the Aces considered signing Griner but were attracted elsewhere once they re-evaluated their needs and the Plum-Loyd trade was complete.
The Aces’ focus now includes re-signing unrestricted free agents Tiffany Hayes and Alysha Clark and possibly signing a free agent from the Dream.
Hayes has suitors
Although Hayes and Clark previously indicated a preference for returning to the Aces, sources with knowledge of the situation said Hayes has decided to explore her options and took her first meeting with another team Tuesday.
Hayes was named Sixth Player of the Year after the Aces signed her out of a brief retirement a few weeks into last season. The 35-year-old is averaging 20 points per game in the Unrivaled three-on-three offseason league that features a lot of the WNBA’s top talent.
It’s not surprising that other front offices have taken note, and the choice to entertain options in free agency doesn’t necessarily mean she won’t be in Las Vegas this season.
That said, the Aces now have to compete for her recommitment, and they appear to be employing a full-court press. Hayes’ agent, Marcus Crenshaw of The Fam Sports, posted on his Instagram story that the team was scheduled to host her for dinner in Miami on Tuesday.
A potential issue could be the team’s constricting cap space.
All-Stars Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young are under protected veteran contracts for the upcoming season. The Aces also have the unprotected salaries of Kiah Stokes and Megan Gustafson on the books, along with Kierstan Bell’s protected rookie scale deal.
Once a trade has been made, the player’s full base salary for the season transfers from the old team to the new team’s salary sheet. In Loyd’s case, that’s a $249,032 supermax deal, which will make her the highest-paid Aces player in 2025 by a large margin.
Hayes and Clark, the 2023 Sixth Player of the Year, might be able to go elsewhere and find more competitive salaries than the Aces can offer. Sydney Colson is another veteran Aces unrestricted free agent whose future hangs in the balance.
A vet in the frontcourt?
Most established players are waiting to sign extensions until the new collective bargaining agreement is negotiated, and moves around the league indicate that nearly every team is positioning for title contention before every major star becomes a free agent in 2026.
The Aces have also expressed interest in forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who spent the past four seasons with the Dream, sources told the Review-Journal.
Aces 2024 draftee Liz Kitley is expected to be back in form by June or July from a torn ACL suffered at the end of her final college season, but an established post presence could be beneficial as the 6-6 former Virginia Tech star ramps back up.
Parker-Tyus, 32, is a 6-4 forward who can post up and also score at the perimeter. She came off the bench for most games last season and averaged 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game before an ankle injury cut her season short.
Although the Aces can’t quite afford injury risk and certainly need guaranteed production, Parker-Tyus averaged a career-high 15.0 points and 6.7 rebounds as a starter in 2023.
The salary cap could be a factor, as Parker-Tyus was the Dream’s highest-paid player last season.
The Aces might have a good shot at convincing her to take a pay cut, though, as sources said she turned down a meeting with another team because of her preference for the Aces.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
