Aces re-sign A’ja Wilson, reported $5 million deal sets WNBA record

Las Vegas kept the center of its dynasty in place, and the move may matter as much for the league’s economics as for the Aces’ title defense. A’ja Wilson re-signed with the Aces on April 15, and the reported three-year, $5 million supermax would set a WNBA record if accurate.

The basketball case is straightforward. Wilson is the only four-time MVP in WNBA history, and the Aces said her return brings back 90% of their scoring power from 2025, 75.5 of 83.6 points per game. Las Vegas won its third championship in four seasons by sweeping the Phoenix Mercury in the 2025 Finals, and Wilson earned her second Finals MVP award in that run.

Wilson’s 2025 season was a statistical line few players in any era could match. She averaged 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.3 blocks in the regular season, then raised it to 26.8 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 2.1 steals and 2.5 blocks across 12 playoff games. The Aces also said she closed 2025 as the only player in league history to win MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and Finals MVP while leading the WNBA in scoring in the same season.

The roster implications are immediate. With Wilson back, Las Vegas preserves the core around Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Jewell Loyd, a group built to maximize continuity in a compressed free-agency cycle. That continuity matters in a league where timing, chemistry and cap management can decide whether a contender stays on top or gets forced into a reset.

The business side is just as striking. The league’s new seven-year collective bargaining agreement, ratified in March, lifted the 2026 salary cap to $7 million per team from $1.5 million in 2025. The new supermax starts at $1.4 million, the average salary is around $600,000 and the minimum salary is above $300,000. Against that backdrop, a deal at the top of the market is more than a paycheck. It is a benchmark for how much star players can now command as the WNBA’s visibility and commercial value rise.

Wilson had already signaled where she wanted to be, saying on April 3, “I’m not leaving Vegas.” Nikki Fargas, the Aces president and general manager, called Wilson “truly one of one” and praised her for leading the franchise while bringing “confidence, authenticity and grace” to the organization. Wilson’s career totals stood at 5,719 points, 2,494 rebounds and 533 blocks at the time of the announcement, a ledger that explains why Las Vegas sees her as both its most valuable player and its clearest identity.