LAS VEGAS — The Las Vegas Aces are keeping their core intact amid a wild WNBA free-agency period.

Point guard Chelsea Gray is finalizing a three-year, multi-million dollar deal to return to the Aces, sources told the Review-Journal on Friday. The deal, which is worth around $3 million over its course, is fully guaranteed.

Guard Jewell Loyd also is coming back to the team on a three-year deal, sources confirmed. The details of her contract have yet to be disclosed.

The developments come after the Aces came to terms with guard Jackie Young for a $1.19 million one-year deal and re-signed Kierstan Bell on Thursday. The Review-Journal previously reported that four-time MVP A’ja Wilson is expected to re-sign on the new super-max contract, which increased to $1.4 million a year under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Gray posted a video to her Instagram story of her son, Lennox, saying “Mommy to Vegas!” to reflect the news.

A four-time WNBA champion and the 2022 Finals MVP, Gray averaged 11.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last season.

Loyd averaged 11.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game in the team’s 2025 WNBA championship campaign, her first year with the Aces.

The 5-foot-11 guard played starter minutes but asked to come off the bench midseason. It was Loyd’s first time coming off the bench in her 10-year professional career.

She was traded to the Aces last offseason in the three-team deal that granted Kelsey Plum’s trade request, sending her to the Los Angeles Sparks .

All of Loyd’s previous WNBA seasons were played with the Seattle Storm, who selected her with the No. 1 pick of the 2015 draft from Notre Dame. The six-time All-Star won two titles with the Storm in 2018 and 2020 and was the league’s scoring champion in 2023.

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The Aces no longer have their $100,000 sponsorships from the LVCVA, and the players don’t really need them anymore.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the salary cap will start at $7 million in 2026 and increase every year, which is how the Aces can ink multiple deals worth a million dollars and up.

Gray was the Aces’ player representative in the WNBA player’s association as the union negotiated with the league for increased salaries, benefits and a new revenue sharing model in a new CBA.

In a recent podcast appearance, Gray said that she anticipates most players will opt for two-year deals in light of the potential changes.

That could come into play as the Aces still have multiple players to sign after most of the league opted not to sign past 2025 in anticipation of the new CBA.

After losing Aaliyah Nye in the expansion draft, the Aces didn’t have a single player under contract on their roster. From last year’s front court; Kiah Stokes, Cheyenne-Parker-Tyus and Megan Gustafson remain unrestricted free agents. NaLyssa Smith is a restricted free agent and has yet to sign her qualifying offer, but could still simply be working out details if she is looking for more than the new league minimum.

Guard Dana Evans also will be a player to watch as deals continue to unfold.

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Signings can’t be made official until Saturday. After that, the league’s condensed offseason will move on from free agency to the WNBA draft on April 13.

The Aces don’t have a first-round pick but could still potentially gain some new talent since the new CBA requires a minimum of 12 on the roster and includes the addition of two developmental players. After the draft, teams will begin preparing for the season as training camps open on April 19.

The Aces announced Friday that the team will host the Japan National Team in a preseason exhibition game at Michelob ULTRA Arena on April 26 at 5 p.m.

The team did something similar in 2024 after winning back-to-back championships, playing the Puerto Rico National team at Wilson’s alma mater of South Carolina as they struggled to book a WNBA opponent willing to face them in the preseason.

The Aces also will play an exhibition game against the Dallas Wings at the University of Texas on May 3 at 4 p.m. before officially opening their season against the Phoenix Mercury – their 2025 WNBA finals foe — on May 9 at T-Mobile Arena.

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