NyLyssa Smith – Las Vegas Aces
NaLyssa Smith’s 2026 season ended after she suffered a non-contact injury to her left leg during Las Vegas’ game against Toronto. The Aces subsequently announced that Smith would miss the remainder of the season, cutting short a year in which she had become an important part of their frontcourt rotation. Her absence leaves Las Vegas without one of its regular interior contributors during the final four games and into the playoffs, forcing the Aces to redistribute those frontcourt minutes at exactly the point in the season when depth becomes increasingly important.
Kelsey Plum – Phoenix Mercury
Kelsey Plum was shut down for the remainder of the season because of a lower-left-leg injury, the same issue that forced her to withdraw from Team USA before the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. Plum had only recently joined Phoenix following an August trade, so the Mercury now head into the final stretch without a player they had just added to strengthen their backcourt. With Phoenix already eliminated from playoff contention, her absence won’t change a postseason run, but it does end the opportunity for Plum to build chemistry with her new teammates before the offseason.
Ezi Magbegor – Seattle Storm
Ezi Magbegor suffered a torn ACL in her right knee while representing Australia against Italy at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup on September 9. Seattle confirmed that the injury will keep her out for the remainder of the 2026 WNBA season. The timing means the Storm return from the international break without one of their primary interior defenders for their final four games. Seattle is already out of playoff contention, but losing Magbegor removes a major piece of its frontcourt and turns the remaining schedule into an opportunity for other players to absorb those minutes while the organization looks ahead to her recovery.
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