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ARLINGTON, TX — The Dallas Wings traded NaLyssa Smith to the Las Vegas Aces on Monday. The Wings' rebuild led to the Smith trade. On Tuesday after practice, General manager Curt Miller told reporters that the team is planning to make another move before Thursday's game against the Phoenix Mercury. According to Miller, the Wings — who currently have an open roster spot following the Smith trade — will sign a player ahead of Thursday's matchup.
It will be intriguing to see who Dallas ends up signing. The Wings now have plenty of center depth with Luisa Geiselsoder and Teaira McCowan returning from EuroBasket and joining Li Yueru on the roster. The team recently waived both Haley Jones and Kaila Charles — who were signed to hardship contracts — so perhaps Dallas will add a wing player.
As for the Smith trade, Miller explained the thinking behind the move on Tuesday.
I asked Curt Miller about the NaLyssa Smith trade pic.twitter.com/sNdsBDvzQw
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) July 1, 2025
“Certainly always hard to give up a good player,” Miller told reporters. “And (Smith) was fantastic, really professional with us. Her strength for us was really rebounding the basketball and we understand losing (Smith) we have to fill that void of how good a rebounder, how productive of a rebounder she's been in her career.”
Wings-Aces NaLyssa Smith trade made sense for both teams
The Wings received a 2027 first round pick from the Aces. Las Vegas is trying to win now and Dallas is rebuilding, so the trade made sense for both sides.
“Ultimately, the balance between now and the future is something that you're always trying to look at as a GM, and certainly building for the future,” Miller continued. “Not often that a first round pick, especially coming out of a new CBA, is available. And so, we are excited about having three first round picks now over the next two years. But never easy to give up a player like (Smith). And again, she was just a tremendous professional while we had her.”
The Wings are just 5-13 overall so far in the 2025 campaign. That doesn't mean they are only focusing on a long-term rebuild, however. Miller left the door open for the team to potentially make a competitive run sooner rather than later. A rebuild is happening without question, but Dallas is still attempting to compete.
I asked Curt Miller about a potential rebuild timeline for the Wings following the NaLyssa Smith trade.
“Two things can be true,” Miller said, referencing the team’s desire to remain competitive while thinking about the future.#WingsUp pic.twitter.com/YKKScntZxr
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) July 1, 2025
“I think two things can be true,” Miller said. “We're gonna compete and put ourselves in position to try to win each and every night. At the same time, you know, there's already tons of work going on behind the scenes in preparation for an unprecedented free agency coming up. There's already work being done even though the collegiate season is not in season.
“Looking and preparing and talking about the next couple drafts. So there's always an eye on the future but at the same time we are trying to put our team in position to win and win right away. We do like the youth that we're adding and have available.”
Dallas could compete as rebuild continues?
The Wings will move forward without NaLyssa Smith. Dallas is excited for the future as the rebuild begins around Paige Bueckers. With multiple first round picks available over the next few years — and potentially even more could surface depending on if the Wings make more trades — this team could be a true championship contender at some point within the next five years.
With that said, Dallas could make things interesting sooner rather than later. The Wings have added depth and the idea of this specific roster bouncing back and playing well in 2025 does not seem impossible. No, Dallas probably won't win the 2025 WNBA Finals (I guess anything is possible) but perhaps they can make a sneaky postseason run.
After all, Curt Miller said, “two things can be true.”
