The Aces beat the Indiana Fever in the first round, but they were swept by the Golden State Valkyries in the second round and enter the 2027 offseason with some major roster-building questions.
The only players currently under contract for next year are A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, and Dana Evans. Janiah Barker is on an unprotected rookie contract.
Re-signing Jackie Young and NaLyssa Smith should be the Aces’ priority, but they also have to learn from their loss to the Valkyries. The Valkyries beat them with a level of defense, effort, and depth the top-heavy and short-handed Aces could not overcome.
The Aces need a roster overhaul and to make as many changes and upgrades around their core four as they can. Wilson, Gray, Young, and Smith should be considered the only locks to return—assuming Smith and Young want to stick around—but holding on to Evans would also make a lot of sense. Even Stephanie Talbot, who started 43 out of 44 games, wasn’t great, as she shot under 30% from deep. Neither was Jewell Loyd.
The Aces need to focus on depth and a better supporting cast
Before the Aces do anything else, they must re-sign Young and Smith. Their big three of Wilson, Young, and Gray are still the key to championship contention and they simply should not want another contender to steal one of the best two-way wings in the game away from them.
But it’s just important to get the big three a better supporting cast. Re-signing Smith is the first step. Smith’s rebounding, efficient inside scoring, and ability to impact the game without having many plays run for her make her a great fit next to Wilson. Losing her to a season-ending injury immediately changed the Aces’ championship potential.
Now, we’re getting to the trickier part. If the Aces can re-sign Young and Smith, they will have a lot of money tied up in six players, which would leave them with a top-heavy team that lacks quality depth once again.
The most logical way to free up some cap space would be to trade Jewell Loyd and turn the aging star into quality role players. The only question with that is which team would trade for Loyd’s $840,000 salary after she just put together the worst statistical season of her career. Perhaps a rebuilding team with ample cap space would be willing to take her on as a veteran presence. It’s definitely something the Aces have to explore, as it would give them the financial flexibility to sign proven WNBA contributors as well as some cheaper international talents.
The Aces have excelled at many things over the years. International scouting isn’t one of them. They signed Mai Yamamoto during the season, but that decision seems to have been primarily based on a preseason game against the Japanese national team. Stepping up their international scouting should help the Aces build out their depth and find young players who are ready to contribute immediately but also have some future upside.
There are plenty of examples to follow across the league. The New York Liberty definitely found something with Pauline Astier and Marine Fauthoux. Moreover, Carla Leite is growing into the face of the Portland Fire franchise, and Leila Lacan has been a rare bright spot for the Connecticut Sun.
Or the Aces could just look at the Atlanta Dream and Golden State Valkyries, who are headed to the finals. The Dream are paying Isobel Borlase, a WNBL MVP who has played quality minutes in the playoffs, $270,000. Likewise, the Valkyries found reliable, young role players from France in Janelle Salaün, who just won Sixth Player of the Year, Iliana Rupert (currently out due to pregnancy), and Aminata Gueye.
Between Gray, Young, and Evans, the Aces’ biggest guard needs should be covered. They do, however, need to find better wings and bigs to fill the bench and that fifth starting spot than they had this year.
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