Becky Hammon's Candid Explanation for Unexpected Aces Roster Move Turns Heads

Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon got honest about her team's decision to waive a player.

Jun 7, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon talks to media members before the game against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

On June 11, the Las Vegas Aces announced that they had waived forward Crystal Bradford. Soon after that, news broke that the Aces had signed forward Joyner Holmes in Bradford's place, who was a second-round pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft.

This move was relatively unexpected, if only because it's rare to see roster changes like these take place just eight games into a team's WNBA season. Bradford played in four of the Aces' 2025 regular season contests, averaging 1 point, 1.3 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.5 blocks, and 6 minutes per game.

The Aces suffered a 97-89 defeat to the Los Angeles Sparks later on Wednesday. And when speaking with the media postgame, Las Vegas head coach Becky Hammon got honest about her team's decision to waive Bradford.

"I mean, Crystal was great for us. We decided, we just needed to let [the roster] get a little bit bigger," Hammon said, per an X post from Callie Fin of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "Joyner Holmes is 6'3", just a bigger body. You know, just trying something. Trying to find a fit that will work.

"But Crystal was great while she was here. There's no doubt about that. She was a great teammate, she worked hard. You're not gonna hear the Las Vegas Aces say anything but good things about Crystal," Hammon added.

I asked Becky Hammon about the moves to waive Crystal Bradford and sign Joyner Holmes. She emphasized the Aces’ need for size.

“Just trying something. Trying to find a fit that’ll work. But Crystal was great while she was here.” pic.twitter.com/dgaZ661faj

— Callie Fin (@CallieJLaw) June 12, 2025

It will be interesting to see how much playing time Holmes ends up getting. She did not compete in the Aces' loss against the Sparks on Wednesday, but perhaps they could have used her, given that the team only received 3 points from the bench.