Nalyssa Smith Traded to Las Vegas Aces from Dallas Wings
Nalyssa Smith, a veteran of the WNBA, was recently traded from the Dallas Wings to the Las Vegas Aces, leaving her a bit startled. In a social media post, she expressed mixed feelings about the move, saying, “I’ve never seen this come in my stomach, but I love you Dallas Nation, thank you all.”
The announcement came on Monday, revealing that the Aces acquired Smith along with a 2027 first-round pick. This trade follows a challenging season for the Wings, where they struggled with an unfortunate 1-11 record and Smith’s personal performance was not as strong as expected. She averaged 6.7 points and 4.9 rebounds over 18 games this season.
Previously, Smith was acquired by the Wings in an offseason trade from the Indiana Fever, as the team aimed to strengthen its roster around players like Page Booker and Alike Ogunboir. Unfortunately, the strategy did not pan out as hoped, leading to this trade.
In a personal twist, Smith, who played alongside Dijonai Carrington at Baylor, also has a relationship with her. Carrington shared a broken heart emoji on social media after the trade was announced, followed by a picture of them on the court together. Despite her surprise, Smith showed excitement about landing in Las Vegas, stating, “If I could have gone anywhere, it was Vegas. I’m thrilled about this new opportunity.”
Interestingly, it’s speculated that when Smith referred to “my goat,” she may have been talking about A’ja Wilson, a two-time league champion and MVP in the WNBA.
Having been the second overall pick in the 2022 draft, Smith made a notable impact by averaging 13.5 points and 7.9 rebounds in her rookie season, which earned her a spot on the All-Rookie First Team. Now in Las Vegas, Smith will need to adapt quickly, although she might see a decline in her playing time compared to what she had in Dallas.
The Aces are currently positioned seventh in the WNBA rankings and fifth in the Western Conference with a record of 8-8. Smith’s first game with her new team will be against the Fever on Thursday night in Indianapolis.
