NaLyssa Smith traded to the Aces

The Las Vegas Aces have acquired forward NaLyssa Smith from the Dallas Wings for a 2027 first-round draft pick. This trade ends Smith's disappointing Dallas debut, where the Texas native, who played at Baylor, averaged career lows in points, rebounds, and minutes. The Wings started the season 1-11 before winning four of their past six games.

Smith, the No. 2 pick by Indiana in 2022, made the WNBA All-Rookie first team after a standout Baylor career that included a national championship when she was a freshman. She joined the Wings from Indiana in an offseason trade as part of a major roster makeover before Dallas selected Paige Bueckers as the No. 1 overall in the draft in April. In three seasons with the Fever, Smith was a double-figure scorer each year while averaging nearly eight rebounds. However, her production dipped after Caitlin Clark joined Indiana last season.

This year, Smith's minutes are below 20 for the first time at 19.1, while she is averaging 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds. Smith is from San Antonio and will now join the Aces, who won back-to-back WNBA titles in 2022-23. The Aces are off to a disappointing start after sending Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks and adding Jewell Loyd from Seattle in a six-team trade this past offseason.   The Aces hope that this addition will provide them with the spark they need to succeed. Smith will be making her season debut tonight against her former team, the Indiana Fever, who will be without Caitlin Clark.