Okay, where do the Aces go from here? Not saying you blow up the team, but standing pat won't be enough. As we say every off season, they need a better bench. Hayes is a keeper, not sure about anybody else. They need a better 5th starter than Stokes. Can Gray return to being the player she used to be? She showed some flashes in the playoffs, but overall wasn't great. 38% shooting, 28% from 3 is not good enough. Clark has her moments, but she's not the player she was when she was helping the Storm win Championships (looking at the roster, she's 37, that surprised me).
As long as they are contenders, I think the Aces will focus more on ring pursuing veterans than draft picks. The money realities of the WNBA shifts priorities to locking up your best players (4-5) with big contracts, and only spend more than the minimum on your next 3 or 4. Every penny spend above the minimum on a player that isn't say in your top 8 of a rotation is inefficient.
It also means the top contenders will probably have 11 not 12 players. that money for a 12th player is better spent on upgrading a player that will get regular minutes. The Aces probably have significant off the court advantages. A nice new practice facility, good attendance, more outside income opportunities, no state income tax etc.
That plus a possible championship means they can frequently get veterans to support the big 4 at less than market value, be that getting a better minimum salary player than other teams, or paying modestly more than the minimum for a player that might command much more from other teams. They got Clark and Stokes relatively cheap, and Parker way under market although that didn't work out due to injuries.
Clark and Stokes have slipped to where they are no longer bargains, but getting players like they were a couple of years ago at less than market value would seem to be a good approach. Spend your money on the top 8, 5 starters, one big, one midsize and one guard reserve, and minimum on everything else. You hope you get something good in the draft, but you can probably pick from the best or top layer of minimum contract players to fill out the roster.
