Aces parting ways with general manager in front office shake-up

The contract of Aces general manager Natalie Williams will not be renewed as part of a “restructuring of the front office,” the team announced Saturday.

Williams, 53, was named to her position in April 2022, three months after coach Becky Hammon’s hiring.

The news of her exit comes at the start of a crucial offseason for the Aces, who saw their three-peat championship bid thwarted by the New York Liberty in the semifinals.

Williams said just two weeks ago that she was excited to bolster the team’s bench in free agency and get superstar forward A’ja Wilson “some help.”

Instead, the Aces will move forward without the Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer, who had a seven-year WNBA playing career with the Utah Starzz (a precursor of the Aces) and Indiana Fever.

“It has been a joy and honor to serve as General Manager of the Las Vegas Aces,” Williams said in a statement. “Winning two WNBA Championships with this incredible group of players and staff has been a dream come true. I want to thank Mark Davis and the Aces Organization for the incredible opportunity to help lead this franchise. I love the WNBA, and it has been wonderful watching the growth of the game. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.”

Hamby lawsuit

Williams is credited with signing 2023 Sixth Player of the Year Alysha Clark and two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker last offseason. Those moves helped the Aces win their second straight title, but not without some fallout.

The additions came a month after the Aces traded Dearica Hamby to the Los Angeles Sparks while she was pregnant, igniting claims of discrimination. Hammon was suspended for two games after a WNBA investigation.

Hammon, Williams and team president Nikki Fargas were all named in Hamby’s federal lawsuit against the team and the WNBA. Both organizations filed motions to dismiss the case last month.

“We are incredibly grateful for Natalie’s invaluable efforts in helping build the Aces into the premier franchise in the WNBA,” Fargas said in a release. “Her time with the organization extends back to the league’s formative years in Utah, and she will forever be a part of our history, having left an indelible mark as both a player and an executive. We wish the best for Natalie and her family.”

The Aces also lost lead assistant coach Natalie Nakase to the league’s new expansion team, the Golden State Valkyries earlier this month.

But Las Vegas isn’t the only destination for front office talent to consider. There are three general manager vacancies (Aces, Mystics and Wings) and five head coach openings (Dream, Mystics, Sky, Sparks and Wings) across the WNBA, which is coming off a season of record viewership.

It’s unclear if the Aces will choose to hire a new general manager at all. Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve, who led the Lynx to the WNBA Finals this season, also serves as president of basketball operations. She juggled both roles so well that she won the league’s 2024 Basketball Executive of the Year award.

Lack of depth

Following that model would certainly avoid some of the discord displayed this season with the Aces. Williams exercised the fourth-year option for forward Kierstan Bell in May and signed center Megan Gustafson, but Hammon declined to give either player meaningful minutes.

After Williams looked ahead by drafting injured center Elizabeth Kitley for the 2025 campaign, Williams said Parker’s retiring right before the season left the Aces to “scramble” in free agency for depth.

Despite Williams signing a carousel of players throughout the season, including center Queen Egbo, none of them gained Hammon’s trust.

The coach publicly took credit for suggesting the Aces reach out to guard Tiffany Hayes in her retirement. Hayes went on to be named the 2024 Sixth Player of the Year, and Hammon often said she didn’t know where the team would have ended up without her.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @CallieJLaw on X.