WNBA star 'sick to my stomach' after finding out she'd been traded

WNBA forward NaLyssa Smith expressed her disappointment after being traded away from the team in her home state on Monday afternoon.

Smith, a native of Converse, Texas who attended Baylor University, is being moved on from the Dallas Wings.

Earlier in the day, she was moved to the Las Vegas Aces in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2027 WNBA Draft.

Smith had been struggling in Dallas - averaging 6.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists so far this season. Nevertheless, the trade came as a complete surprise to a player who had been moved to the team as part of a three-way deal to move Sophia Cunningham to the Indiana Fever.

Smith, the player the Fever gave up to complete the deal, revealed her heartbreak on Monday after hearing of the move.

'sick to my stomach dawg , never seen this coming but .. i love you dallas nation, thank you 4 everything,' the player posted to X, formerly Twitter.

While the move does come as a surprise and does move her away from her hometown, Smith does get traded to a bonafide WNBA title contender - something that the Wings are decidedly not.

Plus, the move could rejuvenate a player who was averaging career lows in points, rebounds, and minutes. 

In Indiana, Smith was a consistent double-figure scorer and averaged almost eight rebounds.

Her production dropped slightly after the Fever drafted guard Caitlin Clark. It fell further in Dallas this year when the Wings selected Paige Bueckers. 

Smith was picked second overall by Indiana in 2022 and made the WNBA All-Rookie first-team.

Now, she's off to a perennial contender in the Aces - who won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023.