The Golden State Valkyries didn’t just beat the Las Vegas Aces. They dismantled them, brick by brick, in a 95-68 rout that sent shockwaves through the WNBA. For a team boasting four U.S. Olympians and three-time MVP A’ja Wilson, scoring just 68 points and losing by 27 to an expansion franchise is more than a bad night—it’s a full-blown crisis.

But how did the reigning back-to-back champions, the team that strutted into the 2024 season wearing their crowns like armor, fall so far, so fast? The answer might be found not in who’s left on the floor, but in who isn’t: Kate Martin and Kelsey Plum.

The Night the Dynasty Crumbled

On paper, the Aces should be untouchable. A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and new acquisition Jewell Loyd form a trio most teams would envy. Yet, on this night in San Francisco, the Valkyries ran them off the court as if the Aces were the expansion team.

Kate Martin, once an overlooked rookie in Vegas, was grinning at the box score. Not only did her new squad hand her former team their worst defeat since 2023, but Martin herself thrived in an upgraded role. She pulled down more rebounds than Wilson (seven to six) and outscored both Jackie Young and Jewell Loyd combined (12 to nine). Suddenly, the dots connected: Martin wasn’t just a role player in Vegas—she may have been the glue holding the dynasty together.

The Cost of Arrogance

When the Aces left Martin unprotected in the expansion draft, the media yawned. The franchise shrugged. Even Wilson’s now-infamous “it is what it is” dismissal suggested Martin was expendable. But business in the WNBA is measured in wins, and since Martin left, Vegas has been doing a lot of losing.

The Aces figured plugging in Jewell Loyd would patch the hole. They believed Wilson’s MVP magic could carry the load. They miscalculated. Martin was the truth-teller in the locker room, the hustle queen on the court, and the spark that fired them up when things got tight. That’s not a replaceable role. That’s the engine.

Meanwhile, Kelsey Plum, the flamethrower who bailed out the offense time and again, was shipped to the Los Angeles Sparks. In her debut, Plum set a WNBA record for most points in a season opener (37), becoming the first player in league history to notch at least 35 points, five assists, and five steals in a game. She’s averaging 25.2 points and 5.5 assists per game, splashing threes at a 43% clip—MVP numbers from a player Vegas once labeled “complimentary.”

The Locker Room Crisis

Coach Becky Hammon didn’t sugarcoat the loss: “I’m not coaching effort,” she declared postgame. When a coach has to question her team’s will to play, the issue isn’t talent—it’s chemistry and culture, two things the Aces once had in abundance.

Wilson, the face of the franchise, is now expected to carry the whole operation. Her stats look solid, but the team is 4-3 and coming off back-to-back humiliations. She’s been held under 20 points in four of the last five games. For all the hype, the Aces’ “dynasty” is starting to look like a solo act bombing on stage while the rest of the band sells out arenas elsewhere.

The most embarrassing part? This wasn’t a bad night. It was the logical result of a team that forgot what made it great. The Valkyries, still learning how to run a franchise, ran laps around the Aces like it was practice. The 27-point beatdown wasn’t an outlier—it was a wake-up call.

The Ripple Effect: Plum’s Revenge and Martin’s Validation

While the Aces soul-search, Kelsey Plum is thriving in LA, running her own team and rewriting the stat books. She’s exactly what the Sparks needed—a consistent offensive force and floor general. The conversation around MVP and Plum is gaining steam, and the Vegas betting markets have noticed: Wilson is no longer the darling of the oddsmakers.

Kate Martin, meanwhile, is validated. She didn’t leave the Aces; the Aces left her. Now, as she helps build something sustainable in San Francisco, Vegas is discovering what life looks like without its heart and hustle. Spoiler alert: it’s ugly.

A Reckoning on the Horizon

The Aces thought they could let two championship-caliber pieces walk out the door and double down on Wilson. They were wrong. Championships aren’t built on one person’s trophy shelf—they’re forged in chemistry, culture, and role players who fill the cracks perfectly.

Now, the whole league is watching as the Aces get checkmated by teams they once looked down on. The question isn’t whether Martin and Plum are better off—the win column answers that. The real question is how long Vegas will pretend they didn’t just make the biggest blunders in franchise history.

That moment of truth is coming fast. And with Kelsey Plum returning to Vegas as a rival star, outperforming Wilson and leading her own team, the final buzzer on the Aces dynasty might sound sooner than anyone expected.

If you support Kate, comment “Money Martin” down below. The WNBA’s balance of power has shifted—and everyone’s watching.