“I think I tried to lay the foundation for what a championship team looks like, a championship player,” Jewell Loyd said, reflecting on her time with the Seattle Storm. That time, of course, came to a shocking halt in December 2024, when reports confirmed she had requested a trade after nearly a decade with the franchise. A two-time WNBA champion and the 2023 scoring champ, Loyd had been the face of the Storm since being drafted first overall in 2015. But by late January, her exit was official—Loyd was headed to the Las Vegas Aces in a headline-grabbing three-team trade. But even after the trade, Loyd hasn’t managed to steer clear of the drama.

A May 29 episode of Jewell Loyd’s The Warehouse podcast has come back to haunt her, especially after the Aces dropped a tough one to the Fever on Thursday night. “At the start of everything, I told my agent, ‘Just get me out,’” Loyd said on the podcast. “It physically, mentally, emotionally, cannot be worse [than Seattle]. I guarantee you. I will put my life savings on this: it can’t be worse.” She admitted she didn’t even want to know where she might end up. “I told her certain teams [for a potential trade], I’m like, ‘Whatever works out… I trust you. Figure it out.’ And I told them, like I don’t want to know until you actually absolutely know that I’m going somewhere.”

What really sent fans over the edge was how she reacted when she learned she was headed to Las Vegas. “So she (her agent) didn’t really talk to me, and I was like, I don’t want to deal with this. I am going to go to Unrivaled, I’m sitting, I’m eating dinner, I get a text like, ‘Hey, you’re probably gonna go to Vegas in 20 minutes.’ ‘What?’ she’s like, ‘Yeah, you go into Vegas, probably.’ Put the phone down like it’s no way they’re send me to f—–Vegas like a contender like playing with A’ja and Chelsea like there’s no way. I’m cutting my steak, about to take a bite. My phone rings, some A’ja. I pick it up, she looks like me, I look at her, she’s oh me start like, oh like I’m like. No like it happened, like my phones are vibrating like I’m like No f—-way.” After Thursday’s loss, that whole “no way I’m going to Vegas” moment suddenly feels a lot heavier, especially with the Aces slipping to 7th place.

That 80-70 loss to Indiana stung. Kelsey Mitchell lit it up with 21 points, and both Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston grabbed double-doubles as Indiana cruised to a comfortable win. A’ja Wilson, who had averaged 31.7 points over the Aces’ recent three-game win streak, finished with 20, but Vegas couldn’t find a rhythm late. Jackie Young added 19, and NaLyssa Smith posted 10 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough. For a team loaded with stars and expectations, the timing of Loyd’s resurfaced comments and the loss couldn’t be worse.

Jewell Loyd’s Aces run leaves fans frustrated and confused

“If Kelsey Plum went to Sparks, what did Seattle get in this deal?” That’s the question haunting a growing number of fans—and honestly, it’s fair. On paper, the three-team trade looked like a win-win-win. The Sparks got Kelsey Plum, a proven scorer and former All-Star. The Aces added Jewell Loyd, a six-time All-Star and Olympic gold medalist. And the Storm? They walked away with the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft and reserve center Li Yueru. But as the season has unfolded, the deal hasn’t exactly paid off for anyone, not least for Seattle. But fans were right to wonder—especially now that Jewell’s impact in Vegas hasn’t matched expectations, and Plum is no longer in the title mix. Was this just a lose-lose swap overall?

“Lol, but seriously, what happened to Jewell Lloyd? She averaged 20 ppg last year and 25 ppg year before and was in MVP debate. She’s averaging a baffling 10 ppg this year. The fall-off is stunning.” It really is. This season, her scoring has cratered to just 10.4 points per game. That’s half of what she posted just two seasons ago with the Storm, where she dropped 24.7 ppg. What’s behind it? A mix of system, role, and rhythm. Her shots per game have plummeted—from 16.8 in Seattle last year to just 9.8 in Vegas. She’s shooting 37.9% from the field and hasn’t looked comfortable all year. For a player used to having the ball in her hands, being relegated to a spot-up, off-ball role behind A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray has clearly thrown her off. The “Masked Mamba” had brief flashes early on—like that game-winner against the Mystics—but they’ve been too few to change the larger story.

“She didn’t realize that Seattle gave zero fs about losing her.” And ouch, that one stings—but there’s context. Jewell Loyd didn’t just wake up one day and ask for a trade. Her request came after internal complaints she reportedly filed against Seattle’s coaching staff, alleging harassment and bullying during practices and games in the 2024 season. When the Storm launched an external investigation, no violations were found. But by then, Loyd’s trust in the organization was broken. The trade came soon after.

“Sold on A’ja!! Jewell, you will pay for your crimes!!” This one’s part sarcasm, part heartbreak, and part frustration from Aces fans who expected another championship run. The truth is, when Jewell Loyd joined Las Vegas, the hype was real. A backcourt of Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young, and Loyd? Add A’ja Wilson to that, and you’re talking superteam potential. But chemistry hasn’t clicked. Loyd, a volume scorer by nature, is now expected to fill a three-and-D role, not her natural game. Aces head coach Becky Hammon has even floated the idea of moving her to the bench to get her confidence and rhythm back. And despite strong words of support from Wilson—“I trust her every single day with every shot she takes”—even A’ja can’t will her back into MVP form.

This isn’t about effort; it’s about fit. And with the team sitting at 12-12, Jewell’s “crimes” might just be being part of a system that never truly unlocked her.