Just one season removed from winning back-to-back WNBA titles, A’ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces are trying to play with the cards they’ve been dealt. If Kelsey Plum, a key part of the Aces’ recent success, is off the table, so be it.
A blockbuster sign-and-trade in the offseason sent Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks in a three-team deal that netted Jewell Lloyd from the Seattle Storm. Lloyd will replace Plum in Las Vegas’ backcourt as the team retools for 2025 around Wilson, the reigning MVP, in the frontcourt. Plum, meanwhile, becomes the most prominent player for a Sparks franchise that hasn’t made the postseason since 2020.
Wilson Speaks About Plum’s Departure From Aces
Asked at Aces training camp about Plum’s departure, Wilson gave a frank response:
“It is what it is. It’s a business, people want to work on their brand, new journeys, new stories, and I love that for her and I’m glad that she’s in a space that she’s happy, healthy, and thriving in,” Wilson said, emphasizing that her attention was already turned to this season.
“It’s a business. People wanna work on their brand, new journeys, new stories… I can’t worry about that anymore.”
A’ja Wilson opens up about the Aces trading Kelsey Plum: pic.twitter.com/arDOjo1Fa7
— Taylor Rocha (@TaylorRochaTV) April 30, 2025
“At the end of the day, I can’t really worry about that anymore, I’ve gotta worry about what’s in this locker room and what we have going on, and that’s what we’ll continue to do is build on another and grow and help us get to our goals,” she added.
Wilson and Plum were back-to-back first-round picks for the Aces, helping lead the organization to consecutive titles in 2022 and 2023. The two also played together for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, winning a gold medal alongside fellow Aces Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray as well as then-Storm guard Lloyd.
“It’s been an incredible journey to be a part of the Aces organization, and Vegas will always hold a special place in my heart,” Plum wrote on Instagram after being traded. “Vegas is much more than the strip. It is a community of incredible people that have a real zest for life, and it is a true basketball town. The support and loyalty the city has for the Aces is incredible, and I’m so grateful that I got the chance to experience that love.”
Plum was a highly decorated star at the University of Washington in college before landing with the San Antonio Stars, who moved to Vegas the following year, in 2017. After an achilles injury that cost her all of 2020, Plum returned with force in 2021, winning the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year award over then-Vegas and current Sparks teammate Dearica Hamby.
She earned an All-Star selection in each of her final three seasons in Las Vegas and averaged 17.8 points and 4.2 assists per game in 2024.
The Aces are looking to rebound from a semifinal exit at the hands of the New York Liberty, the eventual 2024 champions whom Vegas topped in the Finals in 2023. Las Vegas lost 2024 Sixth Woman of the Year Tiffany Hayes (as well as lead assistant coach Natalie Nakase) to the Golden State Valkyries in free agency and 2023 Sixth Woman of the Year Alysha Clark to the Seattle Storm.
Along with Lloyd, Las Vegas signed Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, a 2023 All-Star, from the Atlanta Dream, and Tiffany Mitchell from the Connecticut Sun. The Aces drafted Aaliyah Nye (No. 13 overall) in the second round of the 2025 draft and Harmoni Turner (No. 35) in the third round. The Aces begin the 2025 regular season against the Liberty on May 17.