Heartbroken DiJonai Carrington pays emotional tribute as Dallas unexpectedly ships NaLyssa Smith to Vegas

DiJonai Carrington paid an emotional tribute to her girlfriend NaLyssa Smith after the Dallas Wings traded her to the Las Vegas Aces. The Wings broke the news to the community through a press release on their website.

Following the news, Carrington posted a broken heart emoji on her X account.

Later, she also shared a few pictures with Smith on her account with a bandaged heart emoji in the caption, which was followed by an infinite emoji and addition signs, indicating the permanence of their love.

DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith got the opportunity to play together for the first time in their careers when Mercury traded Carrington to the Wings before the season and the Fever did the same with Smith.

However, Smith has struggled to make an impact on the Wings roster despite tallying generous minutes on the floor. She averaged 19.1 minutes on the court in 18 games for the Dallas franchise, even starting in 15 of them. But she has only managed to average 6.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game in that span.

On the other hand, DiJonai Carrington has been quite efficient in her first stint with her new team. She is averaging 11.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

The Wings have received a 2027 first-round draft pick from the Aces in exchange for Smith. The former Fever forward has now received another chance to revitalize her career with a new franchise.

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NaLyssa Smith releases first statement after trade news

The NaLyssa Smith trade to the Aces came as a surprise to many fans. However, Smith expressed her excitement at getting traded to the two-time champions. She worded her thoughts in an X post, which DiJonai Carrington resposted.

"on another note tho if i could’ve chose anywhere to go it would’ve been vegas so hella excited 4 this new opportunity wit my goat . 🙂‍↔️🤝🏾" Smith tweeted.

The Wings were forced to make the trade to maintain their roster's strength. In addition to trading Smith, Dallas also released Kaila Charles, who they had signed through an emergency hardship contract on Jun. 17.

Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsöder have both left the Wings for international duties in the EuroBasket tournament. Trading Smith has given the Wings a good enough cap size to explore other options on the market. They are currently the 12th team in the standings with a 5-13 record.