Aces continue to bolster depth with frontcourt replacements, bench scorer

Aug 25, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter (7) drives to the basket against Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray (12) during the first half at Wintrust Arena.

(Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images)

Outside of keeping their own core relatively stable, the Aces have also done their part to add pieces to keep their rotation strong.

The losses of Megan Gustafson (Portland Fire) and Kiah Stokes (Golden State Valkyries) hurt, but they were quickly offset by the signings of Brianna Turner and Stephanie Talbot.

Turner, a former teammate of Jackie Young at the University of Notre Dame, has earned first-team All-Defensive honors in 2020 and 2021, earning a reputation as a fearless rebounder and postseason performer (5.7 rebounds per game in seven seasons, 7.9 in five playoff runs). She is coming off a season with the Indiana Fever, who the Aces eliminated in a tightly-contested semifinal series that went all five games.

“Adding another veteran presence to our frontcourt will be very beneficial for our roster this year,” Aces team president and general manager Nikki Fargas said. “Brianna is an exceptional defender, rebounder and an even better teammate to have by your side, and we can’t wait to welcome her to Las Vegas.”

Talbot, a three-time Olympian for Australia and journeywoman wing player with six stops across her eight WNBA seasons, gives the Aces more floor spacing to work with due to her 35.1% shooting percentage from beyond the three-point line. She was selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the 2025 WNBA Expansion Draft, but was waived on July 13 and signed a rest-of-season contract with the New York Liberty on July 21.

“Steph is a versatile wing who can guard multiple positions while shooting from beyond the arc at an elite level,” Fargas said about Talbot. “She has had a stellar career in the WNBA, in Australia’s WNBL and as an Olympian, and will add depth to our Aces roster.”

Both should ensure a stable frontcourt rotation and take the pressure off of A’ja Wilson and NaLyssa Smith, which was a point of concern for the Aces in the early stages of last season.

With the additions of Janiah Barker and Jordan Obi in the draft helping round out the wings, the Aces’ first post-draft move ended up making more noise.

On Wednesday, the team announced that they had signed guard Chennedy Carter to a training camp contract.

Across four seasons in the WNBA with the Atlanta Dream (2020-21), Los Angeles Sparks (2022) and Chicago Sky (2024), Carter has earned a reputation for being a microwave scorer off the bench. In 84 WNBA games, Carter has averaged 14.6 points per game along with 2.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists. This includes a career-high mark of 17.5 points per game with the Sky in 2024.

Despite her clear athleticism and scoring proficiency, Carter’s WNBA career has hit stumbling blocks due to off-court issues that ended her tenures in Atlanta and Los Angeles.

The Aces signing her to a training camp contract creates the perfect situation for both team and player. If the marriage between both sides works out during the offseason program, Carter will have the opportunity to contribute positively to a roster with championship aspirations. If not, both sides can move on with no strings attached.

On top of keeping a championship-level core intact, the Aces have now added two frontcourt veterans with clear-cut roles and made a potential high-reward flier on a talented scorer with minimal risk. They are now in the process of looking for players who can contribute in spots, ensuring that any depth issues are addressed before they even have the chance to arise.