WNBA free agency is underway, which makes now the perfect time to look back on the Aces’ biggest free agent signings.
Their back-to-back championship teams were mostly built through the draft. Kelsey Plum was the first of three consecutive No. 1 overall picks in 2017, followed by A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young.
Now, Plum has been traded away in a three-team deal that brought Jewell Loyd to the Aces.
Despite the departure, it’s safe to say Las Vegas has made a strong case as a premier destination for top WNBA talent. Teams were able to contact free agents beginning Jan. 21, and we’ll have to wait until deals can be officially signed on Feb. 1 to see who else the team will attract this time around.
Until then, here’s the Review-Journal’s top five free agent signings in Aces franchise history:
5. Angel McCoughtry
By 2019, the Aces’ roster was already one of the most formidable in the league, featuring a stacked frontcourt that included Wilson, Liz Cambage and Dearica Hamby.
Plum, Young and Kayla McBride also highlighted the talented group. But it was a young squad that saw its inexperience exposed in a four-game exit from the playoffs in the semifinals against the Washington Mystics, who would go on to win the league title.
Enter McCoughtry, a guard who joined the Aces as a five-time All-Star and two-time Olympic gold medalist. The 2009 No. 1 overall draft pick, who had spent her entire career with the Atlanta Dream, was announced as a free agent signee with the Aces on Feb. 10, 2020.
She averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game during her first season in Las Vegas, proving to be a crucial addition as the Aces advanced to the WNBA Finals that year and eventually lost to the Seattle Storm. It was just the second Finals appearance in franchise history and first since 2008.
McCoughtry tore her ACL during the following preseason but served as a veteran mentor while injured. She was cited by Young as an important presence in the younger guard’s development that year.
4. Tiffany Hayes
Hayes wasn’t your normal free agent, as she didn’t join the Aces during the time most often associated with free agency.
Hayes signed with the Aces during the season on May 31, 2024, as Chelsea Gray recovered from a foot injury.
Hayes had been playing overseas but “retired” for about a month from a WNBA career that spanned 10 seasons with the Dream and Connecticut Sun before she committed to play for the Aces.
Her impact was immediate, bringing an undeniable spark as she totaled 9.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game off the bench to earn Sixth Player of the Year honors.
The Aces’ season ended in the semifinals at the hands of the eventual champion New York Liberty, but Aces coach Becky Hammon often said she didn’t know if the Aces would have even made it that far without Hayes.
3. Alysha Clark
The Aces announced that Clark had signed with the team as a free agent on Feb. 1, 2023, after she’d played the first nine seasons of her career with the Storm and one season with the Mystics.
Already a two-time WNBA champion with the Storm, Clark averaged 6.7 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in her first year with the Aces. Those stats helped her win the 2023 Sixth Player of the Year award.
She was also vital in the Aces’ second consecutive WNBA championship win. Even though her role was different during the most recent campaign, she was often praised as an invaluable locker room booster who provided support for Wilson and rookie Kate Martin and offered stability for the team.
She and Hayes are unrestricted free agents.
2. Chelsea Gray
News broke that Gray was joining the Aces as a free agent on Jan. 28, 2021, during a pivotal offseason for the team.
The Aces gave center Liz Cambage the core designation early in free agency and had just lost McBride to the Minnesota Lynx. Gray, who had spent the five previous seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks, was the perfect addition.
She was the 2022 Finals MVP after averaging 18.3 points and 6.0 assists over four games against the Connecticut Sun to help bring home the Aces’ first title in franchise history.
An elite facilitator and passer, Gray earned her “Point Gawd” nickname from our next pick.
1. Candace Parker
Parker sent shock waves through the WNBA when she announced her plans to sign with the Aces on Jan. 28, 2023.
The WNBA legend was undoubtedly one of the biggest names in free agency when she made the decision, having led the Chicago Sky to their first WNBA title in 2021.
It was the second of her career after she also won with the Sparks and Gray in 2016.
The Aces traded Hamby — a move that was subsequently investigated and punished by the league — just a week before adding Clark and Parker.
The Aces barreled to a 16-2 start with Parker on the floor in 2023, but she wouldn’t appear again due to a foot injury. Her insights were often praised en route to the Aces’ title win.
She re-signed with the team before last season but announced her retirement a day before training camp began.
Parker’s name often comes up as Wilson rewrites the league’s record books.
Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.
