Aces put faith in ‘moments of brilliance,’ stand pat at trade deadline
The Aces, as anticipated, didn’t make any moves before the WNBA trade deadline Thursday afternoon.
It was an illustration of the front office’s belief that the team has “enough,” according to president Nikki Fargas, to reach its championship goals. That’s paired with the reality that the Aces didn’t have assets to spare ahead of a potentially pivotal offseason.
Coach Becky Hammon’s confidence in her current squad stems from the slivers of greatness she’s seen despite the group’s underwhelming 16-14 record.
“I’ve seen them play at a really elite level,” Hammon said before her team’s win over the Golden State Valkyries on Wednesday. “That’s why you believe in this group, is because you see moments of brilliance.”
Although the Aces seem to be finding a groove, they’ve had promising stretches before that have been followed by a nose dive.
They had a three-game winning streak get snapped by the Indiana Fever on July 24, even though Fever star Caitlin Clark was injured. The Aces then followed up back-to-back wins with a historically bad 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx on Saturday.
“Consistency,” Hammon said of what needs to be her team’s next step. “In basketball, anybody can be good for a night. Really great teams, they’re good every night. So that’s really what we’re striving for. … Now it’s just about carrying it out and having that discipline. It’s about having the maturity to handle your success of the previous quarter or of the previous game and keeping that mindset professional for 40 minutes. It’s serious business out there. And I want that locker room to have a killer instinct.”
The Aces’ mentality will be tested Friday against the Seattle Storm (16-14), who improved their offense by acquiring guard Brittney Sykes prior to the deadline.
Moves starting to pay off
One reason the Aces weren’t in position to pull off trades is because of the moves they’ve already made this year.
The team sent its 2027 first-round pick to the Dallas Wings in June in exchange for forward NaLyssa Smith. The 24-year-old replaced veteran center Kiah Stokes in the starting lineup after just one game and has been a rebounding and scoring threat for the Aces.
Smith is averaging 7.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game with the team and has earned praise from Hammon and three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson for how quickly she’s adapted despite limited practice time.
The Aces were also involved in the blockbuster move of the offseason. They honored guard Kelsey Plum’s trade request and moved her to the Los Angeles Sparks in a three-team deal that brought guard Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas.
The Aces sent the Storm their 2026 first-round pick in the trade and took back Loyd’s supermax contract.
Loyd, 31, had a rocky 25-game stretch in the starting lineup to begin the year. But the 2023 WNBA scoring champion has started to shine since becoming a reserve.
Loyd averaged 10.4 points per game and shot 36.3 percent from the field as a starter. She convinced Hammon to move her to the bench after not scoring against the Lynx on July 25.
The Aces are 4-1 since the switch and Loyd is averaging 16.2 points per game while shooting 50.9 percent from the field. Her 3-point shooting has also improved from 35.4 percent as a starter to 43.6 percent as a reserve.
Fourth-year forward Kierstan Bell, who took Loyd’s spot in the starting lineup, has benefited from the change as well. She is averaging 6.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game since becoming a starter and Hammon said Bell has moved the needle by doing the “little things” for the Aces.
“She’s a great cutter off the ball, gets out in transition and runs for us. A sneaky offensive rebounder with the ability to knock down shots and get us extra possessions,” Hammon said. “She’s scary if she sees a couple go in, I’ll tell you that.”
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.