Thursday evening features a pair of high-profile WNBA games.
The Atlanta Dream will be aiming to snap their five-game losing streak against the visiting Seattle Storm, a team that handed them one of their five straight Ls (8 p.m. ET, Prime Video). Then, the Phoenix Mercury host the Indiana Fever, with everything (most all of it unnecessary) that will come with that one (10 p.m. ET, Prime Video).
I’m most interested in the lower-profile matchup between the Las Vegas Aces, hopefully benefiting from A’ja
Wilson’s return to the lineup, and the Portland Fire, as the defending champs are making their second trip of the season to the Rose City (10 p.m. ET, WNBA League Pass).
My intrigue lies on the Aces’ side because of the seemingly questionable bets they’ve made, headlined by their latest one: waiving Chennedy Carter
And while it’s absurd to see a single game as a referendum on team-building decisions, the contest against the spunky expansion squad will provide more evidence, either positive or negative, about how the Aces have elected to approach their championship defense.
These are four decisions from the Aces that I question, seeing them as potentially sinking their repeat dreams. Let me know in the comments if you agree, as well as how you evaluate the moves Vegas has, and hasn’t, made.
1. Waiving Chennedy Carter
Beckett Harrison already analyzed several of the angles around the Aces’ surprising decision to part ways with Carter.
From the outside, it’s unfair to try to assess which side, if any, is at fault, even if Chennedy’s track record, as Beckett detailed, leads to certain assumptions.
I think, however, all can agree that it is unfortunate.
As a pure talent, Carter might be top five in league. She is a hooper, a bucket and a problem. It is absurd for a 5-foot-9 guard to score as efficiently as Carter was doing so from all over the floor. With her as a super-scoring sixth player, it seemed like Vegas really had pulled a rabbit out of hat, adding an absolutely elite talent at little cost to a team that otherwise had exhausted most of its financial and transactional resources.
Why not keep trying to make it work? I would rather hang on to Carter and all the upside she possesses, risking the roster spot and guaranteed dollars, over dismissing her to add a player, no offense to the just-signed Justine Pissott, who probably won’t make a difference, and may not even see the court, in the playoffs.
Before the season, the Aces gambled on Carter, and the bet appeared to pay off. Now, they’re cashing out early. Are they sacrificing a bigger pay day? Or, avoiding a larger loss?
2. Keeping Kierstan Bell
Asked to guess the player most likely to be waived by the Aces, Kierstan Bell’s name likely would have come up before Carter’s.
Yet, inside the Aces, Bell appears to be the anti-Carter. The on-court value is questionable, but the vibes are immaculate. She’s now in her fifth season with the squad, ensconced even as she is shooting a career-low 26 percent from the field and 20.6 percent from 3, while also not providing positive defensive value.
However, she’s got three rings, and although it seems like other options might better help Vegas secure ring No. 4, they’re betting that Bell remains the right fit for this locker room.
3. Not re-signing Kiah Stokes
When recapping the recent success of the Golden State Valkyries, Zack Ward discussed the positive impact of Kiah Stokes, noting that the former Ace is not only offering expected rim protection and rebounding for the Valkyries but also adding offensive value by experimenting with a 3-point shot. The volume is low, but a 37.5 percent clip is impressive for a player long considered a non-shooter.
Should Vegas regret letting Stokes walk to Golden State as an unrestricted free agent?
Despite her newfound 3-point stroke, it’s likely that teams will still dare Stokes to shoot. In the playoffs, in particular, most opponents would be preoccupied with Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, crowding Vegas’ primary offensive threats while content to let Stokes fire away. But Stokes is a proven playoff defender, and the bigs Vegas signed in her stead, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Brianna Turner, have yet to inspire playoff confidence.
Stokes also did not sign a financially prohibitive deal. The first-year salary of the two-year guaranteed deal she inked is a team-friendly $375,000. That’s less than Dana Evans, who has yet to play this season due to injury, signed for with Vegas.
Retaining Stokes, even if her offensive limitations ultimately persisted, seemed like a safe, smart bet.
4. Re-signing Jewell Loyd
Though she did not come close to approaching her Gold Mamba standard in her first season in Vegas, Jewell Loyd was rewarded a three-year contract starting at $800,000 from the Aces this offseason.
Yes, it’s great to see Jewell getting a lot of green. But, a team aiming for a title repeat should maximize their spending power and be a bit more stingy. A player’s projected production, not their past production, should determine their pay.
The loss of Carter now puts more pressure on Loyd to fulfill her contract, as Carter, on a minimum, was providing the level of off-the-bench offensive impact expected of Loyd. So far, Loyd is averaging 8.3 points per game on 33.3 shooting from 3. Now a 3-and-D role player, Loyd, at minimum, has to be automatic from downtown in order for Vegas’ bet on her to pay off.
But, as Zack wrote earlier this season, Loyd remains a proven winner. She’s never lost a WNBA Finals game! And if she again comes through at the right moments, the bet will be worth it, regardless of the overall value proposition.
Ultimately, the Aces have earned every benefit of the doubt—and then some.
Last season, I was critical of their trade for NaLyssa Smith, seeing it as an overpay for a player whose time in the WNBA suggested she would struggle to make a difference for the then-staggering squad. Instead, Smith has proven to be a perfect piece, helping the Aces complete their title-winning turnaround last season before enjoying the best season of her career in 2026.
We’ll see if the Aces, once again, are making the right bets.
