Wings' NaLyssa Smith 'Sick to My Stomach' After She's Traded Away from Girlfriend and Teammate DiJonai Carrington

A bittersweet trade has just forced a WNBA couple to go long distance. 

Dallas Wings forward NaLyssa Smith was traded to the Las Vegas Aces on Monday, June 30 in a trade that seemed to come out of left field for Smith and fans alike.

After the news broke, Smith, 24, posted to X that she was “sick to my stomach” in reaction to the trade that sees her leave the team where she played alongside her girlfriend, guard DiJonai Carrington. 

Though Smith, who was raised in San Antonio, Tex., and Carrington, 27, were both acquired by the Wings in the 2025 offseason — shortly before the team drafted 2025 NCAA Champion with UConn, Paige Bueckers — their stint together in Dallas was not their first time playing on the same team.

The duo played one season together for the Baylor University Bears in the 2020-2021 season, where they reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

In reaction to the trade, Carrington — whose father Darren was a successful football player, making two Super Bowl appearances  — simply posted a broken heart emoji on X. 

Despite the Four Corners now standing between Smith and her girlfriend, the positives of the trade have not been lost on the new Aces addition.

After her initial post on X, Smith then posted, "on another note tho if i could’ve chose anywhere to go it would've been vegas” referring to the Aces, who won back to back championships in 2022 and 2023. The post continued, “so hella excited 4 this new opportunity wit my goat . 🙂↔️🤝🏾.”

Presumably the “goat” Smith is excited about joining in Sin City is A’ja Wilson, who was part of the Aces two championship teams and was named the WNBA MVP in 2020, 2022 and 2024. 

The 7th place Aces will be able to utilize Smith in regaining stability to their record after they lost Wilson, 28, for a three game losing streak due to concussion protocol. Wilson’s injury came at a particularly unstable time for the Aces with other players on pregnancy leave and dealing with injuries of their own.

Meanwhile the Wings, who currently sit in 12th place, receive a 2027 first round pick for Smith. 

Smith will face Carrington and her old team on July 16 when the Aces cross the desert for a matchup against the Wings in Dallas, for their last game before the All Star break.