The Las Vegas Aces have opted not to renew the contract of general manager Natalie Williams, the team announced Saturday. The team said the decision is part of a “restructuring of the front office.”
After winning back-to-back championships in 2022 and 2023, Williams’ first two years as GM, expectations were again high for the Aces heading into 2024. The team—with a stacked roster featuring MVP A’ja Wilson and fellow U.S. Olympians Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young—was the preseason favorite to win the league. After coming in second in the Western Conference standings, their first sub-first-place finish since 2019, the Aces fell to the New York Liberty in the WNBA semifinals.
Team President Nikki Fargas alluded to the Aces’ heightened ambitions in a press release, stating: “We are incredibly grateful for Natalie’s invaluable efforts in helping build the Aces into the premier franchise in the WNBA.”
In turn, Williams thanked majority owner Mark Davis and the organization, adding, “I love the WNBA, and it has been wonderful watching the growth of the game. I’m looking forward to what lies ahead.”
Despite the Aces’ on-court disappointment, their biggest missteps may have come off it. In 2023, former player Dearica Hamby accused the team of discriminating against her—and ultimately trading her—after she became pregnant. After an investigation, the league docked the Aces’ 2025 first-round pick and suspended head coach Becky Hammon for two games. But in August, Hamby sued the team and the league, arguing that the punishment was insufficient.
Still, the loss of a pick could come back to bite the team. Plum, the Aces’ second-leading scorer, is one of four unrestricted free agents this offseason. The team is also set to lose another player via the WNBA expansion draft to the Golden State Valkyries, which hired Aces assistant Natalie Nakase as head coach.
