Emily Engstler, Laeticia Amihere Named as Potential Aces Frontcourt Fits

NaLyssa Smith went to the floor without contact late in the third quarter of an 88-78 win over Toronto on Aug. 23 in Vancouver. Four days later, Las Vegas announced the left leg injury would keep her out for the rest of the season.

Smith is now an unrestricted free agent, and it is unclear if or when she can play in 2027, Sabreena Merchant wrote in a Nov. 10 analysis for The Athletic that picks one offseason priority for every WNBA team. For the Aces, that priority is a frontcourt partner for A’ja Wilson. Merchant floated five candidates as fits; her piece does not report talks with any of them.

The Aces “turned into a juggernaut in 2025 when they acquired NaLyssa Smith,” she wrote.

Las Vegas was 26-13 the night Smith got hurt. It went 5-0 the rest of the way.

The Aces then beat Indiana in the first round as the No. 3 seed and were swept by Golden State in the semifinals. The rebounding totals in that series were lopsided. Golden State won the boards 147-108, and it had 37 offensive rebounds to 14 for Las Vegas.

Wilson scored 69 points in the three games. She had been named MVP for a fifth time the day before Game 3.

Kalani Brown is one of three Las Vegas frontcourt players headed for unrestricted free agency, with Brianna Turner and Cheyenne Parker-Tyus. Brown had 8 points and 8 rebounds in the elimination game.

“It was okay,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. “At times I thought she got hit a lot offensively. They weren’t going to call that stuff. She’s a foot taller than their defenders, and she’s not just out there missing. However, that’s the way it goes. Golden State really plays a lot of target ball in their offense, so any perceived weakness, they really try to go at some of these individual matchups. They’ll run actions to get certain matchups, and we just weren’t solid enough in those situations as a group.”

Keeping Jackie Young is a big priority, Hammon said after the loss. Young, also unrestricted, has played eight seasons in Las Vegas, so the March collective bargaining agreement no longer lets the Aces core her.

“Obviously we’re going to have some — we’ve got to make some adjustments,” Hammon explained. “We’ve got to make some moves. Try to address our weaknesses. It’s a hard question to answer right now. There’s a lot of things going through my head.”

Emily Engstler is the ideal restricted target in Merchant’s view, someone who can bring some of Smith’s toughness and attacks the glass. Laeticia Amihere could fill the same role. Maddy Siegrist can score, Merchant wrote, but she is less intriguing because of her lack of physicality.

None of the three can simply sign with Las Vegas. Engstler finished 2026 with Portland, Amihere with Golden State, and Siegrist with Dallas, and each of those teams holds the right to match, according to Her Hoop Stats’ free agent list.

Naz Hillmon and Olivia Nelson-Ododa are under contract, so either would take a trade. Merchant’s guess is that Atlanta could make Hillmon available once Brionna Jones returns, and that Houston might part with Nelson-Ododa if the Comets want to get younger after their move. Both deals, she wrote, would likely cost Las Vegas a first-round pick, which the Aces “always seem to be” willing to give up.

Hillmon lifted Atlanta past New York in overtime in Game 2 of the semifinals. In Game 7 of the Finals, Golden State coach Natalie Nakase put Gabby Williams on her, and Hillmon scored 3 points on 5 shots.