WNBA: Aces roll dice with Parker-Tyus, Evans in free agency

The Las Vegas Aces have made a handful of moves during the WNBA’s offseason.

While the free agency period departures of Kelsey Plum, Sydney Colson, Tiffany Hayes and Alysha Clark were shocks on the surface, the Aces have done quite a good job of replacing talent, adding several pieces in Jewell Loyd, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Dana Evans that seem like the perfect fits on paper.

Let’s evaluate what that trio will bring to Vegas, and how they will, or won’t, position the Aces to again chase a championship:

Jewell Loyd

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Loyd was acquired from the Seattle Storm as part of the sign-and-trade that sent Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks. And it seems like she will serve as the perfect piece to plug in where Plum left off.

A six-time WNBA All-Star, Loyd will immediately provide an impact at the guard slot for the Aces, and the team will need her on both sides of the floor. Over the past two seasons, Loyd has averaged 22.2 points, 3.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. Last season, she helped lead the Storm to a 25-15 record.

Cheyenne Parker-Tyus

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Signed as an unrestricted free agent, Parker-Tyus is an excellent addition, especially to help A’ja Wilson at the forward position.

While her numbers took a slight dip last season before she missed extended time due to an ankle injury, Parker-Tyus consistently has been a dual-threat on both ends of the floor. She averaged at least one block and one steal per game in four out of the last five seasons, while also averaging a career-high 15 points per game en route to her first All-Star appearance during her career year in 2023.

Although a large chunk of last season was missed due to injury, this is a gamble worth taking for the Aces. Adding a player of Parker-Tyus’s caliber after injury is very low-risk, high-reward, even more so because she signed a training camp contract, which is non-guaranteed, for $78,831.

Dana Evans

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Evans, a restricted free agent, was acquired by the Aces in a trade with the Chicago Sky, with Vegas sending back the No. 16 and No. 22 picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Evans is only in her fourth season out of Louisville and has served as a consistent role player in the league, even finishing third for the Sixth Player of The Year award in 2023.

Evans will provide a great boost for the Aces off of the bench with her solid shooting and passing. This was a great swing for the Aces to take, especially considering they only gave up draft compensation to complete the deal.

Do these moves move the needle?

The Aces hit the invisible wall last year as they ran out of gas just short of a three-peat. Sometimes, change is necessary. In this case, the Aces did what they needed to do and they did it well. The loss of key players was inevitable and they needed to shake things up just a little bit.

The acquisitions of Loyd, Parker-Tyus and Evans cover three key points. Loyd provides the guard burst they needed in Plum’s absence, Parker-Tyus provides forward depth either in relief of or alongside A’ja Wilson and they’ve struck gold by acquiring Evans as she enters her prime.