How an Illness and a Roster Crunch Just Cost a Sixth Player of the Year Favorite Her Job

The Las Vegas Aces cut Chennedy Carter on Tuesday. Yes, that Chennedy Carter. The one averaging 12.2 points off the bench. The one who looked like a lock for Sixth Player of the Year before her body started betraying her.

Carter missed seven games with what the team called an undisclosed illness, which came right after she’d been dealing with a left leg and hip injury. She came back for two games, played 24 total minutes, scored four points combined. That was it. The Aces, sitting near the top of the standings but dealing with a crammed roster and salary cap realities, decided they needed a different look.

So they signed Justine Pissott, a 6-foot-4 forward who’d been on a developmental contract with the Indiana Fever. This is not a like-for-like swap. Pissott is a stretch forward still finding her footing in the league. Carter is a guard who, at her best, can explode for 20 points in a quarter.

The scoring punch that won’t be easy to replace

Carter was the fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft, taken by Atlanta. That is not ancient history for a 25-year-old. She has averaged 14.3 points for her career, shot 48 percent from the floor and 34 percent from three. She is one of those players who just finds a way to create space, to get a shot off when nothing else is working. Last season with Chicago, she put up 17.5 a game on nearly 49 percent shooting.

The Aces knew what they were getting when they signed her. They knew the talent. They also knew she had been through stops in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Trades and waivers follow her around like a shadow. But this time it wasn’t about attitude or chemistry. It was health and roster math.

What happens now for Carter and the Aces

Carter becomes an unrestricted free agent immediately. That means any team can sign her. And given the way the WNBA season works, with the playoff push coming into focus, there will be calls. Teams that need scoring off the bench, teams that think they can get her healthy and keep her healthy, teams that remember what she did last year in Chicago and figure the Aces’ loss is their gain.

For the Aces, they roll with Pissott and hope she gives them something. They are still the Aces. Still the defending champs. Still have A’ja Wilson. But losing a scorer like Carter hurts. That is the kind of depth that wins championships in July and August. We will see if they miss it.