Just under eight months ago, A’ja Wilson secured a rebound off a Courtney Williams missed jumper and went trotting down the court with massive smile on her face. She threw the ball up in the air in pure happiness, as the Las Vegas Aces secured their first WNBA championship, and the first major sports championship in Las Vegas history. It capped off an unbelievable season for the organization, Becky Hammon, and the team’s star players — mainly Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young.
Many wondered how the Aces would approach the offseason, with most of their core remaining with the team under contract. Some thought they would maybe sit back and take a conservative approach, and run it back with the exact same squad – because why not?? They had just won a championship. The Aces front office surprised a lot of people, including myself, when they landed future Hall of Famer Candace Parker back in February. They followed that up with signing another very solid (and low-key underrated IMO) player in Alysha Clark. After making some big free agent signings, it was unclear whether or not they would retain their veteran players on expiring deals. But that was resolved when in the same week they re-signed…
