Aces Offseason Guide: Jackie Young's Free Agency Is the Whole Winter, ESPN's Breakdown Says
ESPN's offseason guide for the Las Vegas Aces, published Sunday, reduces the winter to one question: does Jackie Young stay? The guard is an unrestricted free agent after career highs of 18.9 points and 6.8 assists, while A'ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd are signed through 2028.
The Las Vegas Aces' offseason has an official shape now. ESPN's team-by-team offseason guide, published Sunday, November 1, lists the Aces at 31-13, a No. 3 seed swept by Golden State in the semifinals, with six unrestricted free agents: Jackie Young, NaLyssa Smith, Stephanie Talbot, Kierstan Bell, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Brianna Turner. The 2027 draft lottery is November 15, and Las Vegas holds only its own second- and third-round picks.
Young is the headline. The 2019 No. 1 pick, who has spent her entire career in Las Vegas, averaged career highs in points (18.9), assists (6.8), three-pointers (100) and free-throw percentage (92.8) this season, and ESPN calls her return the overriding question. Head coach Becky Hammon, in the Associated Press account read by the desk, called retaining Young a big priority while conceding the decision is hers; Wilson, Gray and Loyd are all signed through 2028.
The supporting questions are depth and defense. Smith was having a strong season before her injury, and her status for 2027 is uncertain; Hammon has identified the lack of an elite defense as a major reason the Aces are already in their offseason. Anything short of a championship is a bust year in Wilson's framing, quoted by ESPN — which is why this winter's moves, starting with Young, carry unusual weight.
