A reported trade request by Jewell Loyd came hours after the Seattle Storm completed an investigation into internal allegations of workplace policy violations by the coaching staff.
The WNBA players union has decided to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement, two years before its expiration. The league and players union had the option to do so before Nov. 1.
Kelsey Plum scored 29 points, A’ja Wilson had 24 points and 13 rebounds, and the Las Vegas Aces closed out the Seattle Storm 83-76 on Tuesday night to advance to the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
The two-time defending-champion Las Vegas Aces held the Seattle Storm to a pair of free throws in the fourth quarter in pulling away for a 78-67 victory in Game 1 of the best-of-three series.
The Seattle Storm played without stars Jewel Loyd and Ezi Magbegor, and Las Vegas' A’ja Wilson set the season record for most rebounds in the Aces' win.
Brittney Sykes scored 20 points, including the winning free throws with 1.1 seconds left, and the Washington Mystics handed the Seattle Storm just their fourth home loss, 74-72.