ESPN’s early 2026 expansion draft projection gives Las Vegas a useful reality check. It doesn’t threaten the championship core. It forces a hard look at the bench. Aces games at Michelob ULTRA Arena revolve around stars. Championships depend on the sixth and seventh options. If an expansion team grabs one trusted role player, the Aces could spend 2026 searching for playoff minutes that can’t be replaced at the deadline. If the league limits teams to five protected players, Las Vegas faces a real decision. Protect contract certainty or protect playoff trust. Either way, the margins matter most. Expansion teams start from zero, so they chase two things first: players they can control and players who can fill a role right away. That’s why the box score can point one way while the draft board points another. Production matters, but control and fit drive the decisions. Dana Evans produced like a real rotation guard in 2025, averaging 6.6 points and 2.2 assists in 17.7 minutes per game. She also shot 36.6 percent
