The bleeding of the Las Vegas Aces backcourt continues.
With All-Star shooting guard Kelsey Plum bein traded to the Los Angeles Sparks and backup point guard Sydney Colson off to the Indiana Fever, the Aces have already seen an exodus of talent this offseason.
Now, the Aces have lost yet another guard, and this loss is the most surprising of the group so far.
On Thursday, according to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews, the Aces are losing veteran guard Tiffany Hayes to the expansion Golden State Valkyries.
The Valkyries are signing Tiffany Hayes, sources tell ESPN.
Golden State had its eyes on Hayes for a while, league sources said. The Aces protected her during the expansion draft, but now the Valkyries get her through free agency. pic.twitter.com/500lnTS9bh
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) February 6, 2025
Hayes now reunites with two former Aces in Golden State, those being expansion draft selection Kate Martin and Aces assistant turned Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase.
Initially, Hayes was protected by the Aces during the expansion draft, but she now ultimately ends up on the Valkyries anyway.
Hayes, who spent most of her career on the Atlanta Dream (2012-22), had retired in 2023 before deciding to change her mind and join the Aces in their attempt to three-peat. Many believed the veteran would remain with a championship contender like the Aces, but that ultimately turned out to not be the case.
The Aces still have a fantastic three-headed monster in their backcourt with recent addition Jewell Loyd, along with franchise stalwarts Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young. However, all of the departures have left the Aces as extremely top-heavy.
While the Aces did sign rookie center Elizabeth Kitley to stop the bleeding momentarily, they will need to continue to work to ensure their bench is not a weak point going into the upcoming season.
