Las Vegas Aces lose one other key bench participant to free company

An offseason of considerable turnover for the Las Vegas Aces is simply persevering with. Alysha Clark is headed to the Seattle Storm, ESPN’s Ramona Shelbourne reported on Thursday night time. Clark has spent the final two seasons with the Las Vegas Aces — successful Sixth Player of the Year and a WNBA championship in 2023 — however spent the primary 9 years of her profession in Seattle, the place she received two championships.

What Alysha Clark brings to the Seattle Storm

At 37, Clark is without doubt one of the league’s oldest gamers, however she’s nonetheless one of many WNBA’s most dependable bench gamers. Final season, she averaged 6 factors, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, taking pictures 44.3% from the sector and 37.3% from three.

Seattle is poised to be headlined by Skylar Diggins-Smith, Gabby Williams (who has but to formally re-sign), Ezi Magbegor, Nneka Ogwumike, Jordan Horston, and Li Yueru. Clark brings one other veteran presence to a win-now roster that additionally owns the No. 2 decide within the 2025 WNBA draft. She’s additionally somebody who can bolster the crew’s restricted three-point taking pictures.

Clark is just not precisely the participant she was in her prime in Seattle, however she’s nonetheless extremely efficient at what she does and will assist the Storm stretch the ground throughout her minutes.

Aces reportedly commerce for Dana Evans as they work to replenish their bench

Clark’s departure from Las Vegas created one other query mark for the Aces, who’ve misplaced a number of key rotation gamers this offseason. Already, the crew has seen the departues of Tiffany Hayes and Kate Martin to the Golden State Valkyries, and Sydney Colson to the Indiana Fever. The crew additionally misplaced All-Star guard Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks in a commerce that landed them Jewell Loyd (an all-star in her personal proper).

However, on Friday morning, the Chicago Sun-Times’ Annie Costabile reported that the Aces have been buying and selling two second-round picks to the second-round picks to the Chicago Sky in alternate for Dana Evans. Final season, Evans averaged 7.2 factors and a couple of.4 assists for the Sky, enjoying 19.2 minutes off the bench. However, she’s not essentially the most environment friendly scorer, taking pictures simply 36.7% from the sector in her five-year WNBA profession — a step under Clark and Hayes, the Aces’ most important bench gamers final season.

As of proper now, the Aces rotation might embody ahead Kierstan Bell, heart Megan Gustafson, ahead Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, rookie Elizabeth Kitley, and heart Kiah Stokes. A kind of gamers will doubtless begin with A’ja Wilson within the frontcourt. Parker-Tyus ought to present a significant increase within the frontcourt — the 6’4 ahead was an All-Star in 2023, and holds profession averages of 9.1 factors and 5.1 rebounds per sport.

Nonetheless, the Aces Aces at present solely have 9 gamers beneath contract — and don’t have a first-round decide in 2025 — so extra strikes to bolster the bench are inevitably coming.