#5 The Las Vegas Aces lose Kayla McBride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTXkk6LuTDw
Kayla McBride might not sound like the biggest Superstar in the WNBA, but she was a key part of the Las Vegas Aces’ march to the Finals. Between her consistency behind the arc, and her ability to keep things competitive, she was an important piece of that unit in 2020. Looking at her stat sheet, she started 22 games in 2020 and accounted for 12.5 points a game, a field goal percentage of .452, and a .352 average behind the arc. Again, those might seem like small numbers compared to what other stars put up, but she was critical during a period when the Aces lost Liz Cambage.
She eventually left the team in 2021 and now plays for the Minnesota Lynx.
#4 The Las Vegas RaIders cut Henry Ruggs after DUI incident
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GT9ZzwrrOoE
While the Las Vegas Raiders didn t lose Henry Ruggs in the same way that other teams lost players on this list, it was still a huge blow to the team. The Raiders had invested a lot of time and money by taking Ruggs early in the draft, and the expectation was that it would eventually lead to a promising future. That didn t end, though, and Ruggs was cut from the team after driving drunk and killing someone in a high-speed collision.
It s not about what Ruggs did on the field during his time with the Raiders. It s about what he could have done if he didn t make the mistake of driving drunk. There was so much potential there for this young man to succeed and become a preferred weapon of Derek Carr, but he couldn t avoid letting his demons get the best of him.
#3 The Las Vegas Golden Knights trade away Marc-Andre Fleury
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia3uPZLZep0
It’s no secret that the Las Vegas Golden Knights are in a rebuilding period after losing several top stars to injuries in the opening week of the season, but that’s not the only problem. The organization ultimately decided to trade longtime goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury to the Chicago Blackhawks for cap space purposes.
Not only did the Golden Knights get rid of arguably one of the best players on the entire team, but they also destroyed one of the best goalie combinations in the lead. Of course, the team of Robin Lehner and Fleury were never able to finally grab that coveted championship for the Knights, but they got so close on several occasions.
#2 Losing Liz Cambage due to health concerns in 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yhJD6VQzSA
The 2020 season was a difficult one for sports teams worldwide, including the Las Vegas Aces. Unfortunately for the promising team, their star center, Liz Cambage, decided to sit out the entire season. This left the team with huge shoes to fill and not a lot of time to do it.
Interestingly enough, the Aces would go on to have one of their best seasons in recent memory, even managing a ten-game winning streak. They eventually made it to the WNBA finals with the help of A ja Wilson, Dearica Hamby, Jackie Young, and Angel McCoughtry. However, without Cambage, the Aces were missing a key defensive anchor and were swept by the Seattle storm.
#1 Antonio Brown gets released by the Las Vegas Raiders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bFEg1dn8oo
The Las Vegas Raiders acquired Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2019 and while fans were salivating at the thought of Derek Carr connecting with the veteran receiver in the endzone, it didn t happen that way. In fact, what ended up playing out can only be described as a very unfortunate series of events.
It started with a press conference, where Brown said everything that everyone wanted to hear. He claimed he was there to elevate everyone around him and that it wasn t just about him. Despite these promises, Brown posted photos of severely frostbitten feet after not wearing proper attire during a cryotherapy session.
This forced the former Pittsburgh Steeler to miss several training camp sessions and lose valuable time developing chemistry with his teammates. He was also facing battles off the field due to his preferred helmet not being allowed by the NFL anymore. He filed a grievance to have this fixed, but the league denied him. This resulted in Brown missing even more practices.
Eventually, this racked him up 54,000 dollars in fines for unexcused absences in practice. A few days later, he allegedly got into an argument with Mike Mayock, and some claim he called the General Manager a cracker. He had to be held back by other teammates due to Brown threatening to hit Mayock and ended up kicking a football instead. He told the team to fine him for it before walking off.
