Aces enter free agency without GM, likely to give Plum ‘core’ tag

The Aces entered this offseason with a myriad of unknowns, and that same level of uncertainty clouds the team ahead of a potentially pivotal WNBA free agency period.

The window for teams to make qualifying offers and “core” player designations opens Saturday, and All-Star guard Kelsey Plum is an unrestricted free agent who hasn’t committed to playing in Las Vegas this season.

It’s also unclear who serves as the primary negotiator surrounding the team’s four other free agents, as former general manager Natalie Williams’ contract wasn’t renewed in October, and she has yet to be replaced.

Things will get even more interesting Jan. 21. Teams will be able to work toward agreements with free agents at that point, and players will be allowed to officially sign deals Feb. 1.

Here’s everything to know about the Aces as roster changes loom:

Plum gone?

The immediate next step for Plum is probably the most simple transaction the Aces’ recently “restructured” front office will handle in the coming weeks.

The 2017 No. 1 draft pick is a vital member of the team’s “Core Four,” which also includes three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, 2022 Finals MVP Chelsea Gray and 2022 Most Improved Player Jackie Young.

All of those players except Plum are signed through the 2025 season. Williams indicated Plum was offered an extension but declined it.

While coach Becky Hammon previously said the Aces were giving Plum space to think about her future, they don’t need her permission to hit her with the core designation. It works like the NFL franchise tag, providing players with a fully guaranteed, one-year supermax contract, while taking away their ability to sign with another team directly.

At this point, Plum being “cored” is a near certainty, but that doesn’t mean she’ll be with the Aces next season.

She could negotiate a contract with terms she likes, and a sign-and-trade could be in the cards. Destinations like the new expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries, or the Chicago Sky come to mind. Those teams are led by former Aces assistants Natalie Nakase and Tyler Marsh, respectively, who left for those head coaching roles this offseason.

Other free agents

Veterans Alysha Clark, Tiffany Hayes and Sydney Colson are unrestricted free agents. All of them previously indicated to the Review-Journal that they want to stay in Las Vegas. But if the Aces want to make significant additions in free agency, it may prove difficult to find the cap space to hold onto all three.

There’s also center Queen Egbo, who was signed toward the end of last season and is a reserved free agent.

The Aces have six players under contract for 2025, leaving $656,520 in cap room. Coring Plum would cut out $249,244 of that space.

Wilson, Gray and Young are protected veterans, with their salaries guaranteed. Kiah Stokes and Megan Gustafson’s salaries are unprotected. That means that if they don’t make the team next season, the Aces aren’t required to pay them. Kierstan Bell is on a protected rookie scale deal because the Aces extended her fourth-year option.

The Aces previously had rookie Kate Martin’s contract on the books, but that was released when she was selected by the Valkyries in the expansion draft.

There’s also the matter of rookie center Liz Kitley, whom Hammon has been high on since she was selected in the 2024 draft.

Kitley agreed to sign a contract with the Aces even though she didn’t intend to play last WNBA season due to an ACL injury she sustained at Virginia Tech that ended her collegiate career before the draft.

As is the standard in the WNBA, the Aces agreed to suspend Kitley for last season due to her injury. She wasn’t paid, but she was allowed to utilize the team’s resources for rehab.

That considered, the Aces don’t seem likely to give her up in free agency, and she will likely sign an unprotected rookie scale deal.

No GM?

The real question remains: Who in the Aces’ front office is making these calls in the absence of a general manager?

Team president Nikki Fargas declined an interview request about the front office makeup.

She previously said that the team was going to “take (its) time” to figure out how the front office restructuring would look, and it doesn’t appear any formal title changes have taken place since then.

Ahead of the expansion draft last month, Hammon said she was focused on replacing Marsh and Nakase but that planning for the expansion draft was “definitely more by committee.” The outlook for free agency was similar, she said.

“Natalie Williams was in charge of that and headed that up for us in the past few years,” Hammon said at the time. “Rounding up my staff is priority No. 1 for me, and then we’ll do a deep (dive) into responsibilities, roles and who’s doing what. And so far as, looking at college players and free agents. We’re all going to be collaborating on that together.”

Since then, Hammon has hired two new assistants, Ty Ellis and Larry Lewis.

When asked if she would want act as general manager unofficially, Hammon said she doesn’t feel qualified for the role and wants to keep basketball as the main thing.

She mentioned Fargas, vice president of basketball operations Tonya Holley and assistant coach Charlene Thomas-Swinson as notable contributors.

“I think we have a lot of able people,” Hammon said. “I don’t know if they plan on filling out that space or not. But I can tell you right now, everybody’s helping and giving as much as they can.”

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.