WNBA free agency started a week ago, but the Las Vegas Aces took their first loss on Sunday.

Center Megan Gustafson is signing with the Portland Fire after two seasons with the Aces, the new expansion team announced.

The deal is protected, $500,ooo in Year 1 and $525,000 in Year 2, according to ESPN.

Gustafson was drafted No. 17 overall by the Dallas Wings from Iowa in 2019, and joined the Aces in the 2024 offseason after two years with the Phoenix Mercury.

The Aces’ 2025 championship was the first of her career. She was able to contribute to the title run after sustaining a lower left leg injury during training camp and missing the first half of the season.

Gustafson averaged 3.0 points and 1.8 rebounds in 11.3 minutes over those 20 games. In 2024, she scored a career-high 24 points against the Wings on Sept. 19. That year, she averaged 3.7 points and 1.9 rebounds in 10.7 minutes overall and appeared in 38 games, scoring in double figures in three of them.

Gustafson and her corgi, Pancake, were beloved by the team. Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson even gifted Gustafson a custom pair of A’Ones last season with the pet dog incorporated into the design.

Aces free agency update

Although forward Kierstan Bell is the only player listed on the team’s roster as of Sunday, the Aces have inked deals with four other players.

Guard Jackie Young was the first reported contract. Jewell Loyd was next, and the Review-Journal reported Friday the Aces had also come to terms on a 3-year deal with point guard Chelsea Gray. The contract will pay her $1 million in 2026, $1.05 million in 2027 and $1.1 million in 2028, a source said Sunday.

The team also re-signed veteran forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus to a one-year deal Saturday but lost out on the sweepstakes for All-Star forward Gabby Williams, whose signing with the Golden State Valkyries was announced Sunday morning.

The Aces tendered a restricted qualifying offer to NaLyssa Smith at the same time as Bell, but Smith has yet to sign. The Aces gave up a first-round pick to acquire her from the Dallas Wings last season.

Smith is a restricted free agent because her rookie contract is expiring, which means the Aces can match any offer she receives from another team.

Waiting for Wilson

The Review-Journal reported last month that Wilson is expected to re-sign on the new supermax of $1.4 million, but she has not signed a deal officially.

Under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, the Aces will be required to roster 12 players. The Aces don’t have a first-round pick but will add two players in Monday’s WNBA draft.

Center Kiah Stokes and guard Dana Evans are the other question marks from the Aces’ 2025 title winning team. Both are unrestricted free agents whose plans have yet to be announced.

Contact Callie Fin at cfin@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Callie__Fin on X.