3-Time WNBA All-Star Liz Cambage, Las Vegas Aces Agree to New Contract

The Las Vegas Aces re-signed three-time All-Star center Liz Cambage on Wednesday. 

"Last year, the Aces and Liz took a chance on one another, and it worked out better than we both could have imagined," head coach Bill Laimbeer said in the team's press release. "Liz continues to be one of the marquee players in the world, and we are excited to have her back in an Aces uniform as we continue our quest for a championship."

Cambage averaged 15.9 points and 8.2 rebounds in her first year with the team.

The Aces reached the WNBA semifinals, losing to the eventual champion Washington Mystics in four games.

Although Cambage was a free agent this offseason, few expected her to leave Las Vegas.

The 28-year-old has been open with her past mental health issues, and she went through what proved to be a bitter exit from the Dallas Wings.

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne wrote in September that after acquiring her from the Wings the Aces "made a point of supporting her on and off the court." Keri Laimbeer, Bill's daughter and Vegas' head of player-coach communications, also "has become a close friend" of Cambage's:

"'I put out fires, I help them with things, I make sure they have what they need and whenever they need it,'" Keri Laimbeer says.

"Keri figured out pretty quickly that all Cambage needed was someone who looked after her and would help her stick to the lifestyle and routines that have grounded her and given her a sense of peace. 'She needed to get herself healthy and stay healthy,' she says."

Cambage has found a comfort zone with the Aces and helped make them a WNBA title contender, so her return was a foregone conclusion.

One looming question for the team is whether it can win a championship with a roster built around two players who operate out of the post (Cambage and A'ja Wilson).

The Aces finished first in defensive rating (95.0) but were fifth in offensive rating (99.1) in 2019, per WNBA.com. Most telling, Las Vegas was No. 1 in three-point shooting efficiency (36.7 percent) and dead last in made threes (187). 

The team has done little to address the issue this offseason.

Angel McCoughtry was the biggest outside addition. McCoughtry is 16th all time in scoring, but her offensive game is predicated on scoring from midrange and driving to the basket. She's a career 28.6 percent shooter from the perimeter.

Cambage was a 32.4 three-point shooter in 2018 with the Wings. Perhaps the Australian star can rediscover that form to provide that much-needed floor-spacing for Las Vegas.