The Aces agreed to a blockbuster trade involving star forward Dearica Hamby on Saturday, a stunning move that comes just over four months after the franchise won its first WNBA championship.
Las Vegas will send Hamby, 29, and a 2024 first-round pick to the Sparks in exchange for a 2024 second-round pick and the negotiating rights to forward Amanda Zahui B., the teams announced. Zahui B., 29, is currently a free agent after spending the past two seasons with L.A.
“Dearica has dedicated eight years of her career to this organization, and played a big role in our success since the team moved to Las Vegas,” Aces general manager Natalie Williams said in a statement. “We’re going to miss her as a teammate, and are grateful for all of her contributions to the Aces over the years.”
Hamby later shared a message on Twitter thanking her fans for the support following the news of the trade. It’s unclear when the eight-year veteran will return to action after announcing she was pregnant with her second child during the Aces’ championship parade in September.
“Thankful for the love!!! The best is yet to come! Looking forward to being in LA and can’t wait to get back on the court,” Hamby tweeted.
The decision to move on from Hamby comes at an interesting time for the reigning champions as the team gears up to make another title run. The two-time All-Star and WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year has played a vital role for the Aces in recent seasons, and signed a two-year extension in June ahead of the start of the 2022 campaign.
Hamby started 32 of her 34 games played last season, and averaged 9.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game en route to earning her second straight All-Star nod. However, a knee injury would limit Hamby entering the playoffs, causing her to miss the first round and played just eight minutes across two games in the semifinals. In the finals against the Sun, Hamby scored seven points with seven rebounds and five assists during the team’s 3–1 series victory.
Hamby will now head to L.A. after spending the first eight seasons of her career with the Aces organization. Drafted sixth overall out of Wake Forest in 2015, Hamby spent her first three seasons as a member of the San Antonio Silver Stars before the club moved to Las Vegas in 2018.
For her career, Hamby has averaged 9.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 85 starts.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas will look to secure another veteran frontcourt presence in Zahui B. in an effort to bolster its roster for a title defense. Zahui B., who was drafted second overall in ’15, signed with L.A. as a free agent in ’21 but sat out the entire ’22 season after the Sparks suspended her contract. The eight-year pro averaged a career-high 9.2 points to go with 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks with L.A. in the ’21 season.
The Hamby trade adds to the mounting buzz surrounding the WNBA after the start of free agency negotiating period at midnight on Saturday. Jonquel Jones’s seismic trade to the Liberty kicked the offseason off in earnest earlier this week, with other notable players such as free agents Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot set to make major decisions. Teams can begin signing players on Feb. 1.
