Aces' most crushing offseason departure may not have happened yet

The 2024 season didn't go as planned for Aces fans who wanted to see their favorite team three-peat as WNBA champions. New York got its revenge by eliminating Las Vegas in the semifinals and winning its first-ever title.

The Aces' offseason began a month ago, and they've already lost two assistant coaches. The Golden State Valkyries named Natalie Nakase as their first-ever head coach. Nakase joined Becky Hammon's staff in 2022 and won two titles with Las Vegas. She's returned to her home state of California to lead a Valkyries team that will make their WNBA debut next season.

The WNBA coaching carousel has led to several job openings around the league. Chicago shockingly fired Teresa Weatherspoon after one season. Last week, the Sky hired Aces assistant Tyler Marsh. Like Nakase, Marsh joined the Aces staff two years ago.

How did players react to losing two lead assistants? Just like you'd expect.

On Thursday, Las Vegas announced it hired assistant Ty Ellis, who has experience with USA Basketball, the NBA, and the G League. Sydney Colson seized the opportunity to take another shot at Marsh (out of love).

You know Aces players are excited for Nakase and Marsh, even if it bittersweet to see them leave Las Vegas. Oh, and speaking of departures, the Aces could lose a key player in free agency.

Aces star guard Kelsey Plum is an unrestricted free agent

Las Vegas will have to make all but six players available for the upcoming expansion draft, meaning the unprotected players will be eligible for Golden State's selection. The Aces will likely lose one of their key rotation players to the Valkyries, and that still wouldn't be the offseason's biggest departure if Kelsey Plum leaves in free agency.

Plum's unrestricted free agency is critical for the Aces, as she's the first core player to hit free agency. Las Vegas will have the power to "core" Plum, meaning the Aces will be the only team Plum can negotiate and sign with in free agency. A core contract is a fully guaranteed, one-year supermax deal.

Las Vegas decided not to renew the contract for GM Natalie Williams, which was another significant offseason loss. Perhaps the new GM will decide to pivot in a different direction and not core Plum because of the Aces' existing players on guaranteed deals. If that happens, Plum will officially be an unrestricted free agent on Jan. 15.

Maybe she'll re-sign with the Aces for an amount less than what she's worth so that the Aces can keep their key players together. Or, maybe Plum didn't sign an extension because there's a chance she may want to leave Las Vegas. If that's how she feels, the Aces could use their power to designate her as a core player and execute a sign-and-trade deal with a team willing to pay a hefty price for Plum.

The bottom line is that Plum could sign with a new team over the offseason. Although she could re-sign with Las Vegas, it's best to prepare for the worst.