Dallas Wings break up core — and one couple — with surprising WNBA commerce

All is honest in love and basketball.

That rings true in the present day because the Dallas Wings have unexpectedly traded NaLyssa Smith to the Las Vegas Aces in alternate for a 2027 first-round choose, the groups introduced.

The transfer got here as a shock to Smith, and he or she took to social media as quickly because the information broke to specific as a lot.

Happily for NaLyssa, this permits her to go and play with A’ja Wilson and supply much-needed frontcourt depth for the Aces. Las Vegas has been struggling as of late, isn’t seeing manufacturing from Kiah Stokes, and on high of that, is lacking Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (being pregnant) and Megan Gustafson (decrease leg damage). Bringing in Smith permits them to bolster their large rotation.

Vegas wants that too, on condition that they’re at present in seventh place within the WNBA standings with a .500 report (7-7). Provided that they don’t personal their first-round draft choose in 2026, not making the playoffs — solely the highest eight groups within the league do — would have enormous implications for the Aces. On this commerce, they lose their 2027 first-round choose as nicely, that means Vegas has no intention of not making the postseason within the subsequent two years. It’s a win-now transfer, and Smith was doubtless the perfect accessible in the marketplace given their wants. Is it the perfect transfer attainable…? Perhaps not, given the free company market subsequent 12 months, however one thing wanted to vary for Vegas.

On the opposite aspect, it’s a chess transfer from Curt Miller. 2027 is a DEEP WNBA draft pool (Juju Watkins, anybody?). Should you maintain each picks you’ve gotten now, that’s double the possibility for Juju, or you’ve gotten an asset to make use of on the commerce marketplace for this 12 months and subsequent. With Dallas having Li Yueru now within the frontcourt, they’ll afford to maneuver off of Smith. It’s but to be seen how this may increasingly have an effect on crew chemistry.

That’s all the time an element within the aftermath of trades, however is particularly related right here, given Smith’s public relationship along with her (now ex) teammate DiJonai Carrington. The 2 have been an merchandise over the previous few years, and this was the primary season they had been enjoying in the identical market, which is definitely an element within the shock Smith expressed above.

This is also the primary transfer in a set of strikes being performed by these two groups. With a few days of break right here now for the Commissioner’s Cup recreation, groups may make just a few fast strikes with the time to evaluate their roster and desires. The WNBA commerce market has heated up lately, together with the free company market, and with all of the change coming within the league within the subsequent few years, trades and “win-now” strikes would be the fad.

Smith appears excited to be headed to Vegas, given the truth that Wilson is her “GOAT.”

The WNBA commerce deadline isn’t till August 7, so anticipate extra strikes within the weeks forward.