The WNBA career of Chennedy Carter is always going to be one that's been speedy, but no one saw this ending coming just three months out. Carter's departure from the Las Vegas Aces on July 7th has brought back some familiar questions regarding talent and timing.

Speaking on The Athletic's "No Offseason" YouTube series, Sabrina Merchant highlighted how Carter's own words have proven to be pivotal.

"She was straight-up telling the media in person that she's not here to be a sixth woman, and that's a wild thing to say on a team that includes Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray in the starting lineup," Merchant said on the No Offseason: The Athletic Women's Basketball Show.

That framing holds up statistically. Young is averaging 16.5 points and 6.8 assists this season while shooting 45.6 percent from the field, and Gray has contributed 12.5 points and 7.3 assists per game. Both roles were already spoken for.

Carter herself had addressed those ambitions months earlier, before the friction became public.

"I know I'm gonna be a starter. I know I'm gonna play, and I'm not looking forward to no Sixth Man Award. I have bigger goals and bigger aspirations for myself," Carter told USA TODAY after a May practice.

Those comments came during a stretch when Carter looked every bit the difference maker she described. She scored 96 points across her first five games off the bench, the best such start in WNBA history.

Yet, the numbers were fleeting, just like her time on court, as by July she had recorded 15 scoreless minutes in a losing effort against Indiana, her last game before getting waived in favor of newcomer Justine Pissott.

This departure raised many questions, but few answers, and even Carter's own coach could not provide any explanations.

Aces Coach Becky Hammon Stays Quiet On Chennedy Carter's Exit

The team released the news on Wednesday without giving a particular reason why, surprising many fans after Carter had been on quite a roll for the majority of the season.

Going into a game against the Portland Fire on Thursday, Hammon was questioned about Carter and did not mince any words.

"We aren't going to comment on players that aren't here anymore," Hammon said, as quoted by 7News DC's Jade Lawson.

This abrupt answer was part of a trend that has been following Carter for years now. It was the fourth team for Carter in five years, and Carter had skipped an entire year in the league both in 2023 and 2025.

Her departures rarely come with much explanation. The Los Angeles Sparks waived her after 24 games in 2022 over what they called poor conduct, and despite leading the Chicago Sky in scoring in 2024, the team opted not to bring her back the following year.

Comment down your thoughts on whether Carter gets another shot in the league.

Read More at Her Sports Nation!

Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta