The departure of NaLyssa Smith from the Indiana Fever wasn't exactly a surprise. The 6'4" forward appeared to indicate she had beef with the team's front office during the offseason, and the announcement that Smith had been traded to the Dallas Wings during free agency appeared to be met with positivity from both teams.
For the Fever, Smith's departure to the Wings is largely a good thing. First and foremost, one wants to keep a player who isn't happy (see also: the Marina Mabrey-Connecticut Sun saga), especially not when that player has genuine concerns and complaints about a team and/or the team's fanbase. An unhappy player won't feel good about what they're doing on the court, and a team can't thrive if everyone isn't supporting the ecosystem.
Smith's departure will also help the Fever hone in on one of the team's biggest goals this season: making significant defensive improvements. That's something that Coach Stephanie White has been crystal clear about during training camp interviews this week, and it's also an area where Smith struggled last season.
The Indiana Fever and Dallas Wings need great defenders
To say the Fever and the Wings struggled defensively last season is putting it mildly. The Fever has taken steps to beef up the team's defensive prowess this season (the addition of DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard is proof of that), and will be heading into 2025 in good shape. Unfortunately, the same can't really be said for the Wings.
Though we won't know the actual starting five for the Wings until the team takes to the court Friday night against the Aces, projections have Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington, Teaira McCowan, and Smith as the team's starting five. That's a strong squad, but defensively there's not one single person who is likely to significantly improve the Wings' defensive capabilities any time soon. In fact, this starting five will likely see Carrington picking up a lot of slack as Bueckers adjusts to the WNBA.
There are some bright spots ahead for the Wings if the team can get there. Like most rookies, Bueckers will probably struggle at first but begin to improve by mid-June or early July, giving Carrington a chance to catch a break. Maddy Siegrist also had a dominant season during AU Pro Basketball's 2025 season this year and could be poised to break into the starting five if needed.
But the answer to the question of NaLyssa Smith isn't readily available. Ultimately, Wings fans might have to learn the hard way what was true in Indiana: defense isn't her strong suit. But if the Wings can find a way to coax that out of her, Smith could become a formidable threat — and that's something she's likely to be working towards.