The Las Vegas Aces face a difficult offseason.
Getting swept in the WNBA Playoffs is always difficult, but the Aces' three-game loss to the Golden State Valkyries exposed massive issues with the depth the team built around their three stars. Finding a way to get back to the top was always going to be a top priority, and that means upgrading the roster outside of the team's superstar players.
To make things worse, however, star wing Jackie Young will be an unrestricted free agent. If Young were to walk away in free agency, the Aces will truly drop from the ranks of the contenders, A'ja Wilson or no.
If it comes to it, then, Las Vegas must choose Jackie Young over Chelsea Gray.
Young may choose to leave
The Las Vegas Aces are the WNBA's modern dynasty, winning three of the last five titles. What began as a "Core 4" with Kelsey Plum has been refined into a "Top 3" of Wilson, Grey and Young. Together, that trio has dominated the WNBA and international basketball with their chemistry and scoring punch.
Now, however, that trio is in jeopardy. Young showed both during the season and at the FIBA World Cup that she is capable of elite two-way play -- coming on the Aces, of course, in the shadow of five-time MVP A'ja Wilson. Her brilliance is celebrated when Vegas reaches the mountaintop, but she will always be a supporting actress on the Aces.
Does Young want more of the spotlight? Would she like the challenge of leading her own team? If so, she can walk and join another team -- perhaps being co-No. 1 in Golden State, or running her own team in Houston, or being the Alpha of an ensemble in Washington.
Can the Aces make an impossible choice?
Even if Vegas can convince Young to stay, they face the difficult choice of maintaining a title contender around her. Paying three players max money leaves precious little for the rest of the roster, a roster that desperately needs an infusion of new life.
Could that mean moving on from Chelsea Gray? Pitching Young on the unquestioned No. 2 role alongside Wilson (she scored more than Gray this season, but Chelsea remained the closer) and trading Gray to a guard-needy team in exchange for role players and assets could be the outside-the-box move that Las Vegas needs.
Gray has been a cornerstone part of this dynasty, but she is also older than her two co-stars, and paying top dollar for a player as she ages into her late 30s will eventually become a major problem. Getting younger and deeper may be the way to go.
The relationally easy path would be to convince Jackie Young to stay, retain Chelsea Gray and A'ja Wilson, and hope they can pull a rabbit out of their hats for the bench. That and better health might mean a different outcome in next year's playoffs; when you have Wilson, you always have a chance.
The highest upside move, however, could be moving on from the 34-year-old Gray to ensure keeping the 29-year-old Young. In doing so, they could reinvent the rotation around their two stars, giving Young more room to shine and opponents a different challenge to try and stop moving forward.
If push comes to shove, the Aces should choose Young over Gray.
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