The Las Vegas Aces are champions, but what happens now?

The 2025 WNBA season finished with a familiar sight, as the Las Vegas Aces completed the sweep against the Phoenix Mercury to hoist up their third championship in four seasons.

With the league’s 30th anniversary on the horizon, the WNBA has real momentum behind it for the first time in their history. The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo will join the league next year, and Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia all gaining teams within the next five years. The league also signed a media rights deal with USA Network for the next 11 years in September, on top of their current deals with Disney, NBC and Amazon.

Despite all of this, the Aces and the rest of the WNBA head into the offseason uncertain about their next direction.

The Aces now head to the negotiation table to ensure the 2026 season comes together.

In order for next season to go without a hitch, the Aces and the rest of the WNBPA must reach a deal with the league on a collective bargaining agreement before the deadline on Oct. 31.

However, it is clear that the league and players are far apart on negotiations, and public comments such as the ones made by Minnesota Lynx forward and WNBPA vice president Napheesa Collier towards league commissioner Cathy Englebert only add fuel to the fire.

“We have the worst leadership in the world,” Collier said on Sept. 30. “We go to battle every day to protect a shield that doesn’t value us. The league believes it succeeds despite its players, not because of them.”

Engelbert mentioned in her press conference prior to Game One of the WNBA finals on Oct. 3 that both sides can agree to a temporary extension to prevent a work stoppage, but it is unclear if the players would even agree to such terms given their fractured relationship.

If a new agreement is not reached by the deadline, the WNBA will officially head to the first work stoppage in league history.

During the stoppage, players would have no access to team facilities. The league would also be unable to conduct draft activities, the Fire and Tempo expansion drafts or free agency until the matter is resolved. Should both sides be unable to reach a deal, the 2026 season suddenly runs the risk of being delayed, if not cancelled altogether.

How does this affect the Aces?

Just like the other WNBA teams, the Aces have seen their way of conducting business compromised due to these circumstances.

According to Spotrac, the only player that the Aces have under contract for the 2026 season is guard Aaliyah Nye. This is not necessarily a cause for alarm that the likes of A’ja Wilson or Jackie Young are leaving, but it is hard to imagine the Aces would not already have a good chunk of their roster confirmed for the upcoming season by now if a CBA was locked in. Until an agreement gets reached, the Aces’ hands are essentially tied, as is the rest of the front offices around the league.

The Aces dynasty has been nothing short of impressive, and it would be a shame to see a year of it go down the tubes due to league business going up in flames.