Aces waive undrafted guard; opening-night roster should be set

The Aces waived guard Deja Kelly, the team announced Monday.

Kelly, 23, joined the team on a training camp contract after she went undrafted out of Oregon. In two preseason appearances, she recorded 24 points, three turnovers, three assists and 20 minutes.

The Aces now have 13 players on their roster, including veteran forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, who is pregnant. She won’t count on the active roster because of the league’s pregnancy exemption, which means the team’s opening-night roster should be set.

The move comes after Kelly led the Aces with 15 points and the game-winning shot in their preseason finale, a 85-84 win over the Phoenix Mercury on May 6 at Michelob Ultra Arena.

While the performance was impressive, coach Becky Hammon noted afterward that she would still have to make “tough choices” and would keep every player if she could.

Last week, the Aces waived 2025 draftee Harmoni Turner and fourth-year center Queen Egbo.

The roster was still guard-heavy at that point. Core guards Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young are on protected veteran contracts. The same is true for newly acquired guards Jewell Loyd and Dana Evans.

The team also signed guard Tiffany Mitchell to an unprotected contract. She averaged 7.0 points in the two preseason games and appeared to be a seamless fit in Hammon’s early rotation of reserves.

At the Aces’ media day, Kelly shared the guidance she had received from the team’s group of veteran guards.

“As long as I’m myself, I will be content with whatever the future holds for me, whatever that looks like,” Kelly said. “That’s something that I’ve really tried to keep at the forefront, and just being myself and knowing that it’ll all work out. That’s the best advice that they’ve given me.”

Aaliyah Nye, the Aces’ 2025 pick out of Alabama, and forward Crystal Bradford were also some of the first players off the bench in both exhibition games.

Those new additions seem to have snagged spots on the roster, which is limited in flexibility.

The Aces are required to pay center Megan Gustafson her salary until she recovers from the lower left leg injury she sustained during training camp. They are also not in position to cut ties with forward Kierstan Bell. Her contract is protected after the team extended her fourth-year option under former general manager Natalie Williams’ leadership last year.

Despite how things panned out with the Aces, Kelly could still appear in the league on an opening-day roster or as a relief player later in the season.

If she is picked up by a new team, that news would develop soon, as the WNBA has a two-day turnaround for a player to clear waivers.

“Having a longevity in the league, successful career, health. I think that those are the biggest things,” Kelly said of her goals. “You never know what’s going to happen. The most unexpected (thing) could happen, and I think that was something that really got put into perspective for me on draft night.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.