Chennedy Carter stressed that it was not the same old story when she joined the Aces. After a myriad of off-court issues, Carter declared that she had grown and matured as a player. “So far, it was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life,” she said after joining the Aces. However, just 13 games later, the Aces waived Carter, and now Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley has given her two cents when asked about one of the possible reasons by analyst Jordan Robinson.
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“How much do you think, and we’re speculating because we don’t know, the outside stuff played a role? Because she was a little disgruntled with her playing time, even though you’re coming to a championship team with some really good Olympic-level guards. Could that frustration maybe have boiled over?” Robinson asked Bria Hartley on the Women’s Hoops show.
“Yeah, there could be a little bit,” Hartley said. “I mean, the biggest thing in a W sometimes when we see that waive, we’re like, ‘Oh, they should have kept her.’ It’s about fit. It’s the best team. You know what I mean?”
“Vegas is one of those teams. They have their solid core and their rotation. Breaking into that starting five isn’t realistically going to happen. You need to know when you’re going there: ‘This is the role I’m going to take on. This is where I can fit in.'”
She further insisted that Carter needed to have patience. “If you play your way into a bigger role, that could happen. But you have to understand what you’re walking into and the reality of the situation,” Hartley said.
This Aces team is an established dynasty with 3 titles in the last four years, featuring A’ja Wilson, one of the GOATs. The guard duo of Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd have been playing with Wilson long before Carter arrived, and it’s hard to give up that connection because of a handful of good games for another player.
Yet, Carter was averaging 12.2 points and 1.3 assists while coming off the bench in just 16.9 minutes per game. So, Robinson is questioning if off-court issues played a part in this decision, especially considering Carter’s history.
Carter has had locker room issues with the Dream and some gripes with the front offices at the Sky and the Sparks during her time with those teams. And there were signs that Carter wanted a bigger role with the team.
The Aces beat the Dream 85-84 on May 17, marking Carter’s third 20-point game in five outings. However, she wasn’t on the court in a close fourth quarter that saw the Aces win on a jumper from Chelsea Gray. “Obviously I want to help the team close in the fourth quarter if possible. I’m still going through it; I’m a little bit disappointed. Happy we won,” Carter said.
Whatever the reason was, neither the Aces nor Carter has gone into any details. When asked about that decision last week, Hammon flatly said, “We aren’t going to comment on players that aren’t here anymore.”
The Aces signed Justine Pissott to replace her. She showed she belonged on this Aces team after dropping 19 points on her debut. So, there is also a possibility that Hammon wanted a different role from the bench.