The Las Vegas Aces have until Sunday to submit their list of five protected players for the WNBA expansion draft, a process that will reshape rosters across the league. The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will select from unprotected players on April 3, with the Aces at risk of losing up to two players.

Draft rules and timeline

The expansion draft was delayed until a new collective bargaining agreement was ratified. The league and players union reached a handshake agreement on March 18, and the CBA has since been approved. Teams must protect five players from their active contracts, core qualifying offers, restricted free agents, and suspended contracts. Portland earned the first pick via a coin flip on Friday.

The draft will consist of two rounds, with each expansion team making six picks per round. After a player is selected from an existing team’s unprotected list in the first round, that team cannot be picked from again until the second round. The Fire and Tempo can each make up to 12 selections for a total of 24.

Unprotected players with five or more years of service and no 2026 contract are considered Potential Unrestricted Free Agents; each expansion team can select only one such player. A unique quirk this year: only two veterans in the league are not free agents, as most players delayed signing beyond 2025 in anticipation of higher salaries under the new CBA. Players no longer eligible for the core designation can still be selected, and the selecting team becomes the only franchise able to offer them a supermax contract in 2026.

There is a five-day window between the protection list submission and the draft, during which expansion teams can negotiate trades with existing teams. The Aces could be active, but they have limited trade assets—only their own second- and third-round picks in 2027—and no rights to suspended players or international draftees.

Projected protected players

Here is who the Review-Journal projects the Aces will protect:

1. A’ja Wilson (unrestricted free agent)
2. Chelsea Gray (unrestricted free agent)
3. Jackie Young (unrestricted free agent)
4. Jewell Loyd (unrestricted free agent)
5. NaLyssa Smith (restricted free agent)

Wilson, Young, and Gray are obvious picks. Wilson is the league’s only four-time MVP and is expected to re-sign on a supermax contract. Gray anchors the offense, and Young has become one of the league’s best two-way guards. Loyd, acquired in a blockbuster trade that sent Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, adapted to a hybrid role off the bench during the Aces’ championship run. Smith, acquired in a trade with the Dallas Wings for a 2027 first-round pick, provided stability in the frontcourt.

Notable omissions include Dana Evans, a postseason hero acquired from the Chicago Sky for two 2025 second-rounders, and Aaliyah Nye, the Aces’ 2025 first-round pick who showed promise as a shooter. The Aces may attempt to retain them through trades or other means.