Projecting the Storm's 2021 Roster

Taking a very early look at the Storm's 2021 roster, who's signed already for next season, and who should be the priority to re-sign.

Before Free Agency kicks off in February of 2021, I thought I’d take a look at the Storm’s roster as it stands entering the next WNBA season. I wanted to go over which players are still under contract for next season and which players could depart in free agency. I’ll also take a look at who the Storm could potentially cut from their current roster and which free agents will be Seattle’s top priority to retain.

Who’s Under Contract for 2021?

The Seattle Storm currently have eight players under contract for the upcoming 2021 WNBA season. Those players include Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd, Jordin Canada, Mercedes Russell, Ezi Magbegor, Morgan Tuck, Crystal Langhorne, and 2020 first-round pick Kitija Laksa.

That means just two of Seattle’s five starters from last season’s Championship team are signed through the 2021 season. Of course, those two would be the two cornerstone pieces of the franchise in Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart.

And while those two are the primary pieces of the championship puzzle, Seattle’s front office is going to want to try and retain as much of the 2020 team as possible for yet another run at the title next year. This leads us to the next topic. Who’s not currently on the Storm’s roster for next season.

Seattle’s Free Agents

The Storm have five players from the 2020 Championship roster that will enter free agency this off-season. Those five players are Sue Bird, Natasha Howard, Alysha Clark, Sami Whitcomb, and Epiphanny Prince. Of those five players, Sami Whitcomb is the only player that is a restricted free agent, which means the Storm can match any offer she receives if they so choose. With the way the new CBA works, with player salaries seeing a significant increase, it will not be possible to re-sign everyone.

For more clarity on the new CBA and WNBA’s Salary Cap, the good people over at Her Hoop Stats have a ton of information you can read here.

Sue Bird:

Sue Bird won her 4th WNBA Championship in 2020. Bird is likely to return to Seattle on a one-year deal in 2021 for the Super Max salary ($221,450). However, there is a chance she decides to call it a career going out as a champion. Shortly after winning the title, Bird expressed interest in returning to the court in 2021, but it would depend on how her body felt as she geared up for another WNBA season. Bird just turned 40 in October and has really struggled with injuries over the past two seasons. After missing the entire 2019 season, she missed 11 games (50% of the regular season) in the shortened 2020 Bubble season. With that said, she played all six of the team’s postseason games averaging nearly a double-double with 9.5 PPG and 9.2 APG. The 9.2 assists were a career-high for her in the playoffs and she also set a new WNBA record with 16 assists in a WNBA Finals game. The talent and ability to compete at the highest level is still there.

Before the 2020 season began I predicted that Bird would start every game she played but that Jordin Canada would play more minutes per game on average. That turned out to be exactly right with Canada averaging 24.2 MPG and Bird averaging 23.4 MPG. Bird started all 17 games she played including during the playoffs.

If Bird doesn’t re-sign with Seattle, then I believe it’s because she opted to retire. I can’t imagine her signing with any other WNBA team to end her career, especially when her best opportunity to win another championship would be back with Seattle.

Backup Plan: If Bird does decide to retire before the 2021 season, Jordin Canada will step into the full-time starting point guard role as she did in 2019 when Bird was injured. Seattle would also look to add point guard depth either through the draft or free agency.

Natasha Howard:

Natasha Howard will be one of the most sought after players in all of free agency in 2021. Howard is one of the league’s best defensive players winning the DPOY award in 2019. That season she also proved to be a capable scorer averaging 18.1 PPG. Howard’s scoring dropped considerably in 2020, falling to 9.5 PPG, but some of this was to be expected with Breanna Stewart returning to the lineup and dominating a lot of the offensive possessions for Seattle. And while it’s true that Howard really struggled early on in the 2020 season, she ultimately fixed whatever was ailing her and made some significant contributions during the 2nd half of the season and the playoffs. Howard came up big in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals where she scored 21 points and led the team with eight rebounds and two blocks.

Howard’s addition to the Storm since 2018 has really put Seattle ahead of the competition. In the two years that Seattle was able to have Breanna Stewart and Natasha Howard starting in the frontcourt, they have gone on to win the WNBA Championship in both seasons. Individually, both players are very talented but when playing together and off one another, it has been too difficult for opposing teams to compete with.

Because of her age (recently turned 29), I do believe Natasha Howard will be Seattle’s top priority this off-season. Had Howard struggled through the entire 2020 season as much as she did the first 8-10 games, then they likely would have let her walk. But that wasn’t the case, and I have a hard time believing Seattle’s front office won’t do everything in their power to re-sign her. Which includes possibly using the Core designation if necessary.

On top of all that, I think Flash Howard really enjoys playing in Seattle with her teammates. The Storm organization have really supported her and allowed her to develop and have given her an opportunity to really show off her basketball talents that she didn’t really get to do in Indiana or Minnesota.

Backup Plan: While the Storm would hate to lose Howard. If she opted to take a max contract with a different team during this off-season, Seattle has the pieces in place to fill in at the Center position. Mercedes Russell, similar to Jordin Canada, played big minutes in 2019 proving that she could be a legit starting Center in the WNBA. While it seemed she struggled with her rhythm a bit in 2020 with not getting as many opportunities, she ultimately played crucial minutes for Seattle during the bubble season. None more so than against the Las Vegas Aces in the Finals where she did an admirable job of slowing down league MVP A’ja Wilson.

Of course, Russell isn’t Seattle’s only backup plan if Howard were to walk away in free agency. Rookie Ezi Magbegor got more minutes in 2020 than I was expecting and really showed off a lot of good things. Her athleticism and speed for a big would allow her to play a similar role that Natasha Howard plays currently on the roster. The Storm have very good depth at the post position.

Alysha Clark:

I don’t think anyone could write enough positive things about Alysha Clark even if they wrote 10,000 words. Clark is the ultimate team player. Words like “Glue” often get used to describe her because she holds everything together and makes a lot of what Seattle wants to do work. Clark is willing to defend the opposing team’s best player and more often than not holds them to below their season averages. Her improved three-point shooting (52.2% 3P%) allows Seattle to completely space the floor on offense. She is such a versatile player because she can knock down the three, but if the opposing team wants to put a smaller guard on her, she’s going to bury them down low in the post for the easy layup. Clark seals off her defender down in the low post better than just about any other player in the league.

I stated above that I think Natasha Howard would likely be Seattle’s top priority in free agency this off-season. But it’s honestly more of a 1A and 1B situation between Howard and Clark. I give a slight edge to Howard because she is four years younger than AC.

Clark has been underpaid throughout most of her WNBA career, especially over the past few seasons where she’s really started to come into her own. Clark had a career-high in points (10.0 PPG), assists (2.7 APG), and steals (1.5 SPG) in 2020. She was also the only player to be unanimously selected to the WNBA’s All-Defensive 1st team. There’s a good reason many believe she could receive offers from multiple teams for a max contract in 2021.

Can Seattle offer her a max contract? Yes. Can Seattle offer her a max contract if they also re-sign Bird and Howard? That’s where things could get tricky. I do believe the Storm can re-sign all three players but it means they will have to let other players walk and also likely cut one or two players currently signed on to play for the team in 2021. The team may also be forced to keep just 11 players on the roster instead of 12 in order to fit all of these new contracts under the Salary Cap.

Backup Plan: One reason that I could see Seattle’s front office making Clark their #1 off-season priority over Howard is because they currently have two other players who could immediately fill in to Howard’s role at the Center position. But with Clark, there’d be more uncertainty as to whom would fill the starting Small Forward role on the team. It could be Morgan Tuck or possibly 2020 first-round pick Kitija Laksa who has good height at 6’0”. But I don’t think the team would be as comfortable replacing Clark as they would with Howard’s potential replacements (listed above). It’s also possible, Seattle would use their 2021 draft pick to try and find Clark’s replacement if she did opt to sign a contract with a different team.

Sami Whitcomb:

Sami has been an incredible piece to Seattle’s bench over the past few seasons. She has steadily grown each and every season with the Storm. Whitcomb averaged a career-high 8.1 PPG in 2020. She also improved her field goal and three-point field goal percentages to a career best (44%/38%).

There’s something about being able to provide instant offense and hustle plays off the bench to contribute to her team and Sami has done a wonderful job playing that role. Whitcomb essentially took over a role that the team likely originally pictured Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis would have. Not everyone is going to be a Breanna Stewart type player on their team, but the best teams have complementary pieces throughout the roster and Sami has been an excellent one for multiple seasons.

Whitcomb is a true underdog story and really goes to show that hard work and determination payoff. She wasn’t a top pick in the WNBA Draft coming out of college. But she never gave up, kept working hard, and has turned into an excellent basketball player both in the WNBA and overseas in Australia.

Unfortunately, if we’re being realistic, it’s going to be very difficult for the Storm to retain Sami Whitcomb this off-season. Whitcomb has been playing for the veteran minimum salary and is likely going to command a significantly higher salary in free agency. She may not get max salary offers, but it wouldn’t be shocking if at least two or three teams offered her something significantly higher than the league minimum. And if the Storm offer new contracts to Bird, Howard, and Clark, I just don’t see there being enough money to also re-sign Whitcomb under the Salary Cap. Some player salaries have increased by 80% with the new CBA, while the Salary Cap has only increased around 30% from what it was.

Is it possible for the Storm to re-sign Whitcomb to a new deal in Seattle? Yes, but it would likely mean that they did not re-sign at least one of Bird, Howard, or Clark.

Backup Plan: When Seattle selected Kitija Laksa with the 11th overall pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft they likely were keeping an eye on the future of the team. They stashed her overseas just as they had done with Ezi Magbegor the year before. Laksa is known for being an excellent shooter and could potentially fit right into the role that Whitcomb has had on the team over the past four seasons. Seattle could also add another guard in the draft or bring in a veteran on a minimum salary deal to help with bench production.

Epiphanny Prince:

The Epiphanny Prince signing caught me off guard a little bit last season. I didn’t expect them to add anyone else because I knew they couldn’t sign an additional player, bring Ezi over from Australia, and keep their first round draft pick on the team. So I was surprised when they announced the deal for Prince. But it all worked out as they ended up drafting Kitija Laksa and had her stay overseas in Latvia. They did have to cut Joyner Holmes their 2nd round pick unfortunately. Holmes was later picked up by the New York Liberty for the 2020 season.

But back to Prince. Prince signed and played for the veteran’s minimum and I honestly think she gave Seattle some good moments during the season, including 11 points off the bench in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

Her signing essentially replaced Shavonte Zellous from the year before as a solid veteran who can come in and play the backup point or shooting guard when needed.

I don’t believe Prince will be a high-priority to bring back for Seattle due to her being towards the tail end of her career. But I also wouldn’t be shocked if they brought her back for one more year on a minimum deal; especially if they lost a player or two in free agency.

Prince also replaced Whitcomb in the Finals when Sami traveled back to Australia to be with her wife for the birth of their child. If Whitcomb signed on with a different team and the Storm weren’t confident in Laksa taking over that role (or opted to keep Laksa overseas for a 2nd year in a row), then I could see Prince returning.

Backup Plan: If Seattle does re-sign Sami or drafts another guard in the WNBA Draft, they likely won’t have a need to re-sign Prince to the team. They could also replace Prince with another younger veteran guard like they did last season when they let Zellous walk and replaced her spot with Prince.

Other Options? Possible Cuts

After talking with Richard Cohen (Her Hoops Stats), from the eight players Seattle currently has under contract in 2021, only Breanna Stewart’s and Jewell Loyd’s deals are fully guaranteed. The other six players (listed at the top of this article) could be cut by Seattle allowing the Storm to free up additional cap space.

The player that stands out the most to me would be Crystal Langhorne who has seen her playing time dwindle in three consecutive seasons. In 2018, an early injury pushed Natasha Howard into the starting lineup and Howard never relinquished that spot. In 2019, even with Breanna Stewart out injured, Mercedes Russell ultimately ended up outplaying Langhorne and taking the majority of her minutes. In 2020, Langhorne was behind Stewart, Howard, Russell, and even rookie Ezi Magbegor on the depth chart.

To me, it just seems that the money could be better spent elsewhere. Langhorne signed her deal for around the veteran’s maximum before the new CBA kicked in. That money would be better spent retaining both Alysha Clark and Natasha Howard than letting either one of them walk away from Seattle.

Frankly, I thought it may have been in Seattle’s best interest to cut Langhorne last season and keep 2nd round pick Joyner Holmes on the roster instead. Langhorne seems to be at the end of her career and Dan Hughes seemed to be very high on Holmes coming out of the draft. Holmes would have also been a much cheaper option for the next several years on a 2nd round rookie contract.

But ultimately, they decided to keep the veteran, despite rarely playing her. Ezi did mention Langhorne was teaching her things during games and practices, so they may have opted to keep her as another steady veteran presence that can pass down more knowledge compared to keeping two rookies on the roster.

While not as likely, I could also see them parting ways with Morgan Tuck. There’s been some conflicting reports on whether or not Morgan Tuck’s two year deal with the Storm last season was fully guaranteed or only guaranteed for 2020. Cohen believes it’s the latter which would mean the Storm could cut the rarely used Tuck in favor of freeing up significant cap space to re-sign Bird, Howard, and Clark (or at least two out of the three).

With Tuck, I really wouldn’t be shocked either way. I could see them keeping her for one more season and hoping she can produce more. They could also use her a fair amount more if they were to lose either Clark or Whitcomb. At the same time, if Seattle could retain Bird, Howard, and Clark but were forced to make additional cuts like Langhorne and Tuck, then that would be the best option for the team.

I can’t envision Seattle cutting any of the other four remaining players (Canada, Russell, Magbegor, Laksa) as they all contribute more sans Laksa (so far) and are all currently on lower paying rookie scale contracts.

Draft Prospects

I won’t go into full detail on the draft prospects in this article. But will have at least one or two articles covering a handful of players Seattle could select in the 2021 draft as we get closer to the draft next season. But I do think Seattle should target another point guard. It becomes a much higher priority if Sue Bird opts to retire before the 2021 season, but assuming she doesn’t. Seattle has to make plans to replace her long-term. And even assuming Jordin steps into that role, the team is still going to need another player that can fill in during the times Jordin gets tired, gets into foul trouble, or even worse - injured.

While it’s extremely difficult for 2nd and 3rd round players to make a final WNBA roster, I do expect Seattle to keep their 1st round pick on the team. Unless, they happen to draft a foreign player for a third consecutive years and keep her overseas.

Final Thoughts

The Storm have one of the most talented rosters in the entire WNBA and have won two of the last three championships. The front office should do what they can to keep as much of that core together while continuing to rebuild through the draft with younger players that can develop and grow along the way.

If it’s possible to re-sign Bird, Howard, Clark, and Whitcomb then they should do that. But the priority is really to keep Howard and Clark alongside Loyd and Stewart for as long as possible. Those four players should allow the team to compete for titles for at least the next 4-5 seasons.

Mercedes Russell and Ezi Magbegor are really good depth pieces to continue to develop in the frontcourt. Jordin Canada is a plus point guard even without a reliable jumpshot. Kitija Laksa will hopefully fit in as a solid piece for the next few years as well. The team needs to add more guard and wing depth through the draft and free agency.

I’ll be fascinated to see what Storm CEO & GM Alisha Valavanis and Coach Dan Hughes do during this off-season and how the WNBA in general changes with moving pieces in free agency.

My best guess at this time for the 2021 roster:
Breanna Stewart
Jewell Loyd
Natasha Howard
Alysha Clark
Sue Bird
Jordin Canada
Mercedes Russell
Ezi Magbegor
Kitija Laksa
2021 - first round (11th overall) draft pick
Veteran Minimum Free Agent or 18th overall pick (2nd round)

As always, thanks for your continued support! I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!