Blockbuster trades bring Katie Lou Samuelson and Kiki Herbert Harrigan to Seattle

A plethora of moves happened Wednesday for the Storm and around the WNBA

If you thought the Seattle Storm were done this offseason after signing Candice Dupree to a 1 year $170,000 contract, then you were dead wrong. In what can only be described as a bombardment of news, the Storm along with multiple other WNBA teams made several trades on Wednesday morning.

The Storm have officially listed it as four separate transactions.

Transaction 1: Seattle trades Natasha Howard to the New York Liberty and receives the #1 overall pick for the 2021 WNBA Draft, Phoenix’s first-round pick for the 2022 WNBA Draft, and the New York Liberty’s 2nd round pick in 2022.

Transaction 2: Seattle sends that same Phoenix 1st round pick (2022) to the Minnesota Lynx and receives Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (6th pick overall from the 2020 draft) from Minnesota.

Transaction 3: The Storm send Sami Whitcomb to the New York Liberty for the rights to Stephanie Talbot.

Transaction 4: Seattle sends the 2021 #1 overall pick to the Dallas Wings in exchange for Katie Lou Samuelson and a 2nd round pick from the Dallas Wings in 2022.

Ultimately, Seattle comes away with Katie Lou Samuelson, Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, two 2nd round picks for the 2022 WNBA Draft (New York and Dallas), and the rights to Stephanie Talbot.

But they’ve certainly lost a lot as well with the loss of Natasha Howard and Sami Whitcomb. And Alysha Clark to the Mystics earlier in Free Agency.

Storm CEO and General Manager had this to say about acquiring Samuelson and Harrigan.

”We are excited to welcome Lou and Kiki to Seattle. With the dynamics of the new CBA and increased player movement, being agile in roster development in the offseason is critical. As always, our goal is to bring home a championship and find players that fit this team, our culture in Seattle.”

Katie Lou had this to say in a brief video sent out by the Storm.

“I can’t even explain how excited I am to be coming to Seattle to play for such a great organization and with so many great players. Can’t wait to get to work, see you soon!”

Breanna Stewart also added.

“I’m really excited to welcome Lou to Seattle! Having the opportunity to have played with her at UConn and now with the Storm will give us automatic chemistry. Lou is a great move to help our team now and in the future. I look forward to being back on the court with her.”

Other WNBA News

The Phoenix Mercury acquired Kia Nurse and Megan Walker from the New York Liberty in exchange for their 2021 first-round pick (6th overall) and the Mercury’s 2022 first-round pick. The Liberty then traded the Mercury’s 2022 first-round pick to Seattle who then turned that into Mikiah Herbert Harrigan from Minnesota.

Thoughts on all the player movement

Wow, where do I begin? I guess I’ll start by saying I KNEW it was impossible to keep everyone from the 2020 Championship squad. With the way, the new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) works currently. Player salaries have increased significantly in the WNBA, however, the overall salary cap hasn’t increased by an equivalent amount.

For those of you who love numbers. The WNBA’s salary cap went from $996,100 to $1,300,000 per team. That is roughly a 31% increase teams are allowed to spend to retain their free agents and sign new players.

However, players’ salaries saw a significantly higher increase. The lowest-paid players in 2019 made $42,728 increased to $57,000 in 2020. That’s a similar increase of 33%. But that only looks at minimum salaries for the WNBA. If we look at max salaries, a cored player made $117,500 in 2019 which increased to $215,000 in 2020. That’s an increase of salaries by 83%!

When multiple players see salary increases of 40-80% while the salary cap only increased by 30%, teams aren’t going to be able to afford as many players, especially the really good ones.

That’s why we saw some teams in 2020 carry just 11 players on their roster when most teams were supposed to have 12.

I knew Seattle couldn’t afford to retain Bird, Howard, Clark, and Whitcomb. But my hope was that they would be able to retain three of them (likely Bird, Howard, and Clark). But even then, in order to get that to work, they would have had to cut both Crystal Langhorne, Morgan Tuck, and keep just 11 players on the roster.

It is a little surprising to me that they end up losing (or trading) away Clark, Howard, and Whitcomb. But I understand it.

Let’s look at each of Wednesday’s moves to discuss.

Transaction 1: Seattle trades Natasha Howard to the New York Liberty and receives the #1 overall pick for the 2021 WNBA Draft, Phoenix’s first-round pick for the 2022 WNBA Draft, and the New York Liberty’s 2nd round pick in 2022.

I’m disappointed that Howard was traded away. Howard brought so much to the Storm during her three years in Seattle. They won the Championship twice and reached the 2nd round of the WNBA Playoffs during a season where Seattle didn’t have Breanna Stewart or Sue Bird. Stewart, Loyd, and Bird are all amazing. But let’s not forget that Seattle wasn’t able to get out of the first round of the playoffs with this group until Howard arrived from Minnesota.

In her three years with the Storm, Howard was arguably the 2nd best player on the team next to Breanna Stewart. Her PIE (Player Impact Estimate) rating backs that statement up. She was a massive defensive presence who got plenty of steals, rebounds and blocked shots. Her ability to run the floor allowed her to be very successful on the offensive end of the court. Her offensive game also prevented defenses from sending multiple defenders at Breanna Stewart on a regular basis. Simply put, Howard made Stewart’s life much easier each game on both ends of the court.

With all this said, I was pleasantly surprised to see the Storm were able to get the #1 overall pick in the 2021 Draft for Howard. When I wrote my Pros and Cons to trading Natasha Howard article I was eyeing the Dallas Wings and New York Liberty as potential trade partners. The Liberty had the #1 pick and the Dallas Wings have the 2nd, 5th, and 7th overall picks in the upcoming draft. I really thought the Storm would try to get the 2nd pick or 5th and 7th for Howard from Dallas. I didn’t think the Liberty would be willing to part with the #1 overall pick because what team would be crazy enough to do such a thing? Turns out I was wrong and the Liberty did just that!

Not only did the Storm get the #1 overall pick in the 2021 Draft but they also got New York’s 2022 2nd round pick and the Phoenix Mercury’s 2022 first-round pick. That is a very good haul for the Storm.

I also want to state that I have no idea if Natasha Howard wanted out of Seattle. I read Internet speculation that she might want to move on. That Howard wanted a larger role on a different team (similar to one she had in 2019 with Seattle), but one that she obviously wouldn’t get with the Storm and a healthy Breanna Stewart.

But what I think is safe to say is that either Howard wasn’t interested in playing in Seattle for more than one more year. Or that the Storm front office didn’t feel comfortable paying Howard max money for multiple years. One of those things is almost assuredly true and led to Howard being dealt away.

Because ultimately, if Howard was only going to play in Seattle for one more season in 2021 and then leave in Free Agency in 2022 similar to what Alysha Clark just did. Then the Storm were much better off trading Howard away and acquiring assets than letting her walk away for absolutely nothing.

Transaction 2: Seattle sends that same Phoenix 1st round pick (2022) to the Minnesota Lynx and receives Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (6th pick overall from the 2020 draft) from Minnesota.

The Storm acquiring Mikiah Herbert Harrigan is actually my favorite move that took place on Wednesday. Herbert Harrigan or “Mad Kiki” as she was referred to at South Carolina is a player that I was high on entering the 2020 Draft. She played her way from a projected 2nd round pick to the 6th overall selection by Minnesota last year.

Herbert Harrigan saw limited minutes in Minnesota during her rookie season, averaging just 11 minutes per game off the bench. She averaged nearly 4.0 PPG and 2.3 RPG. One real positive is that she shot 42% from three-point range during the regular season. Kiki has three-point range and good size at 6’2”. She was known for her defense as well at South Carolina with a tendency to block shots. While this would likely be a best-case scenario for Seattle, I do see a little bit of DeWanna Bonner in her game.

I spoke with a friend who follows the Lynx closely and he mentioned she needs to improve her rebounding at the pro level.

Herbert Harrigan is likely a project for the Storm over the next couple of seasons, but I believe the potential is there where she could either slot in as the team’s starting Small Forward in a couple of years or at least be a very serviceable role player off the bench.

Here are some more college highlights from “Mad Kiki”.

Is there a downside to this trade? I would say the biggest risk is that we don’t know what the Phoenix Mercury’s pick will be for 2022 until the end of the 2021 season. There are some rumors that Phoenix may be willing to trade Brittney Griner. If that happens, the Mercury could be one of the worst teams in the league and possibly end up with a Top 4 selection which would have gone to Seattle but will now head to Minnesota.

It should also be noted that the 2022 WNBA Draft is currently predicted to have more talent and depth, so the 6th or 7th overall pick could be comparable to a Top 4 pick in 2021.

With all that said, I like this move a lot and I’m really excited to see Herbert Harrigan develop her game in Seattle over the next few seasons.

Transaction 3: The Storm send Sami Whitcomb to the New York Liberty for the rights to Stephanie Talbot.

It’s really sad to see Sami Whitcomb leave. But it was something I was expecting. Whitcomb had been making the absolute minimum salary with the Storm and her play was deserving of significantly more than that. I didn’t see any possible way Seattle was going to retain Whitcomb. She was the odd woman out in my roster projections.

Whitcomb turned into a fan favorite in Seattle and an incredible role player off the bench. Her scrappy play got Seattle extra opportunities, whether it was getting a steal or diving for a loose ball. Her clutch threes and her play in the 2018 playoffs definitely stand out to me. Some players simply give more effort than others and Sami gave everything she had. And I’m really happy she was rewarded with a great role on two championship teams. Not every player is going to be a Breanna Stewart, but Whitcomb carved out a role for herself and was a key piece to Seattle’s multiple championships over the past few years. I hope she finds even more personal success in New York.

The trade for the RIGHTS to Stephanie Talbot is a really interesting way to word the transaction. It clearly indicates to me that Talbot likely won’t play in Seattle during the 2021 season. And frankly, it’s possible she never plays with Seattle.

Talbot is an Australian native who sat out the 2020 WNBA season. She’s played three seasons in the WNBA (2017-2019), two with the Phoenix Mercury and with Minnesota in 2019. She’s averaged around 4.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 1.5 assists.

Whitcomb is a better player than Talbot, but Seattle was likely going to lose her this offseason regardless, so they were able to get something (Talbot) out of it, which is a plus.

Transaction 4: Seattle sends the 2021 #1 overall pick to the Dallas Wings in exchange for Katie Lou Samuelson and a 2nd round pick from the Dallas Wings in 2022.

I had already started thinking about who the Storm were going to select with the number one overall pick in the 2021 Draft. I had my eyes on Awak Kuier the sensational Center out of Finland. But it could have been Charli Collier out of Texas or Dana Evans, Point Guard, from Louisville. What about Arella Guirantes, Shooting Guard out of Rutgers?

Storm fans know how exciting it is to have the #1 overall pick leading up to the WNBA Draft as they’ve experienced it on four separate occasions. Four number one overall picks (Jackson, Bird, Loyd, Stewart) and it’s directly led to the franchise’s four championships.

But as I was tweeting and responding to so many Storm fans on Twitter about the three other transactions listed above, I received an e-mail from the Storm’s PR that stated the team had acquired Katie Lou Samuelson.

I figured the team had traded away their 11th overall pick for Samuelson. Or possibly they had traded away their 2022 first-round pick for Katie Lou. NOPE. As I continued to read further through the press release I realized that the team had just traded away their newly acquired number one overall pick.

I was stunned.

Number one overall picks are generally franchise-changing players. Lauren Jackson. Sue Bird. Jewell Loyd. Breanna Stewart. Even looking outside of Seattle, you look at the number one overall picks for most years and you see players like A’ja Wilson, Brittney Griner, Nneka Ogwumike, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Angel McCoughtry, Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi, etc.

Unfortunately, Katie Lou Samuelson has not lived up to the expectations placed upon her coming out of UConn. She was drafted 4th overall by the Chicago Sky ahead of Arike Ogunbowale and Napheesa Collier.

To be fair to Katie Lou, a lot of the 2019 Draft has disappointed with their performances on the court up to this point. Outside of Arike and Napheesa, Brianna Turner and Ezi Magbegor might be the two best players from that first round and they were selected 11th and 12th overall.

Looking back a lot of General Managers made a mistake passing on Magbegor. But that’s great news for Seattle. Magbegor should play an even larger role with the Storm now that Howard is headed off to New York.

Focusing back on the Samuelson trade for the number one overall pick. Even if there is no clear cut #1 pick this season like there was when Breanna Stewart or A’ja Wilson came out of college, the trade still feels like a significant reach. And from reading through a lot of Twitter interactions today, it seems a lot of people feel the same.

Samuelson has averaged just 3.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG, and less than one assist per game in her two years in the WNBA. Certainly not the production you would expect from a player that was just exchanged for the #1 overall pick in the draft.

While she did double her scoring average from her rookie season in her second year, that’s still just a bump to 5.0 points a game (from 2.5).

The other concern is that she’s now been traded away from her team twice in two seasons. She was initially drafted by the Chicago Sky and then traded to the Dallas Wings after her rookie year. Now she’s being traded from the Wings to the Seattle Storm. In general, teams are going to know players in their organization a lot better than General Managers from other franchises. Why were both the Sky and Wings willing to give up on Katie Lou so quickly?

If you’ve come here looking for a more optimistic take on the trade, I would point you to Katie Lou’s performance this offseason in the Euroleague where she’s averaging 18.8 PPG and 5.2 RPG.

It should also be noted that Samuelson was clearly injured her rookie season missing more than 1/3rd of the season with a broken wrist.

She also battled depression and anxiety, something I’m sure a lot of us can relate to. I know I can. ESPN’s Mechelle Voepel and Samuelson co-authored a piece that I recommend reading through if you haven’t.

I’m not expecting Samuelson to average nearly 19 points per game with the Storm in her first season. But if given the playing time, hopefully, she can ramp up her production significantly more in Seattle. That’s certainly what Alisha Valavanis and Dan Hughes are banking on.

Here are some video highlights from Samuelson this past WNBA season.

The Storm’s front office was clearly not very impressed with the top prospects of the 2021 Draft. They also appear to be much higher on Katie Lou’s potential than what she’s actually been able to produce at the pro level so far. Lastly, they probably also felt like Samuelson in year three would be more productive than Awak Kuier, Charli Collier, or Dana Evans would be this season.

My final thoughts on this deal. My biggest gripe with the trade is that I don’t believe they received fair compensation for the #1 overall pick. Even if 2021 is considered a weaker draft. I don’t hate that they acquired Katie Lou Samuelson. But I am surprised they weren’t able to get more out of that pick.

What stands out to me more than anything else is the fact that the Dallas Wings already had the 2nd, 5th, and 7th overall picks. I’m disappointed Seattle wasn’t able to move up in the draft with this deal. For instance, I would be much happier with this trade if they announced they gave up the number one overall pick for Katie Lou Samuelson and the 5th overall pick. Even if it meant they had to part with their own first-round selection (11th overall) to move up to that five spot. Alternatively, if they would have received Dallas’ first-round pick in 2022 instead of their 2nd round pick, I feel that would justify the deal more from Seattle’s standpoint.

I do hope Katie Lou is given the opportunity to succeed in Seattle. Same with Herbert Harrigan. It’s certainly possible one of those two players could earn the starting Small Forward position in Seattle whether this season or next.

The Storm have lost a lot this offseason. More than most of us were expecting. But ultimately, they still have Breanna Stewart and Jewell Loyd. And I believe those two can lead a franchise to multiple postseason appearances and hopefully a couple more championships before it’s all said and done.

The additions of Candice Dupree, Katie Lou Samuelson, and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan to go along with the two franchise players, THE FRANCHISE (Sue Bird), and their existing young core of Jordin Canada, Mercedes Russell, and Ezi Magbegor should keep Seattle competitive in 2021 and ideally ready to compete for their 5th championship!

Let me know what you think Storm fans! Are you excited about these new additions? Sad we lost so many beloved players? Thrilled about these trades or upset? I’d love to hear what you think, feel free to leave a comment below!