Finding Diamonds in the Rough (Year)

There will be more opportunities this season in Seattle.

NOTE: I’ve added additional information in the UPDATE section at the end of the original article.

Sue Bird has retired. Breanna Stewart took a chartered plane to New York to form a super team. Courtney Vandersloot had a change of heart after initially choosing Seattle; she ultimately decided to also sign with the Liberty. And while all of this happened, other quality free agents like Nneka Ogwumike, Azurá Stevens, Isabelle Harrison, Sophie Cunningham, Courtney Williams, Tiffany Mitchell, etc. have signed with other WNBA teams.

On Day 3 of Free Agency, the Seattle Storm finally made some moves. Officially, they’ve signed two players. The team made separate announcements on the additions of Kia Nurse and the return of fan-favorite Sami Whitcomb.

Nurse - the 6’0” guard out of UConn was drafted 10th overall by the New York Liberty in 2018. She was named to the All-Star team in 2019 after averaging a career-best 13.7 PPG that season. She was also named the MVP of the WNBL (Australia’s top league) in 2020 where she averaged over 21 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and nearly 3.0 APG. Nurse signed with the Phoenix Mercury in 2021 and helped lead them to the WNBA Finals but sadly tore her ACL during their semifinal matchup against the Las Vegas Aces. Because the injury took place so late into the 2021 season, Nurse was not able to play in the WNBA this past year. However, she did play for Team Canada with Coach Noelle Quinn during the FIBA World Cup.

“I am so excited to join the Seattle Storm family! This is a top-tier organization with an incredible fan base and a history of success. I can’t wait to get to work with my new teammates and coaches and immerse myself in the community.” Nurse stated via the Storm PR.

“After coaching Kia with Canada basketball and watching her development in our league, I’m so excited for the opportunity to coach Kia again, here in Seattle with the Storm. She is a special player that will elevate what we are trying to do on both sides of the ball.” Coach Quinn added.

A couple of hours later, around noon, the Storm made their 2nd announcement that they would be signing Sami Whitcomb back to Seattle. Whitcomb has strong ties to the area as she attended the University of Washington in college before playing in the WNBA with the Seattle Storm from 2017 through 2020. Along the way, she became one of Seattle’s best players off their bench, a firecracker who could add instant offense for her team and tenacious defense and hustle on the other end of the court. Whitcomb became a huge fan favorite as she helped the Storm earn two WNBA Championships in 2018 and 2020.

“I’m so excited to be coming home - that’s what Seattle and the Storm are for me. I feel like I’ve grown a lot since I’ve been away, and I’m excited to be back, as hungry as ever, and to be part of this new chapter. This feels like the perfect reunion, and I’m very grateful to be coming back to Seattle with Kate and this time Nash.” Sami Whitcomb said in a statement released by the Storm.

“Sami is a strong leader and relentless competitor, and I’m excited to have her back in Seattle. She made her initial mark in this league as a three-point specialist but has worked extremely hard to expand her game. Sami was one of the hardest workers the two seasons we played together in Seattle, and she has continued to display the same work ethic throughout her career.” Coach Quinn praised her former teammate.

There have been two additional reported signings that the team has not yet made official. Both are potential prospects that are likely to be training camp/non-guaranteed contracts.

First was Arella Guirantes, who was drafted and last played in the WNBA in 2021 for the Los Angeles Sparks. Guirantes is an interesting player that was projected to be a Top 5 pick prior to the 2021 WNBA Draft but surprisingly fell to the bottom of the 2nd round (22nd overall pick).

Like many WNBA draft picks, Guirantes was never truly given an opportunity to play and compete. She averaged around 11 MPG during her lone season with LA averaging just 3.2 PPG over 25 games.

However, Guirantes was a prolific scorer in college averaging over 20 PPG during her final two years at Rutgers. She also averaged 6.0 RPG and 5.2 APG during her senior season.

Lastly, SIG Sports agency announced that former Connecticut Sun, Kaila Charles, had signed a contract with the Storm. Charles was drafted in the 2nd round (23rd overall) during the 2020 WNBA Draft and had a very solid year off the bench for Connecticut. She averaged nearly 5.5 PPG and just under 3.0 RPG during her rookie season. She put up similar numbers during her sophomore season in the WNBA with rebounding and assist averages going up slightly and her scoring down roughly a point per game compared to the prior year.

Unfortunately for Charles, she was a late roster cut from the Sun before the start of her third season in the WNBA.

Analysis and Additional Options

Upon her retirement, Sue Bird has often talked about how the WNBA as a league is in really good shape. And while Bird’s franchise took a couple of devastating blows this off-season, the WNBA overall appears primed to get bigger and better.

A lot of that has to do with the influx of talent that is happening now with the WNBA. Bird has even made self-deprecating jokes about how there is so much talent and not enough roster spots available for said talent because of aging veterans that stick around forever.

But here we stand with a Seattle Storm team that appears to be on the verge of another rebuild. While that’s disappointing for fans to think about after this team has been a strong contender to win the championship each year over the past 5 seasons (winning the whole thing twice). What it does mean is that the Storm have a lot of roster spots open and with that comes opportunities.

Kia Nurse is a solid addition who still has the upside to develop into an even better player. She will have to prove she can get back to an All-Star level after suffering a significant knee injury but she will certainly get every opportunity in the world while playing in Seattle this year.

They will need Nurse to score. Bird and Stewart are gone. We’re still unclear if Gabby Williams or Tina Charles will return. Unless we’re expecting Jewell Loyd to average 40 PPG this team is going to need Kia Nurse to put up points. She should have an opportunity to possibly reach a career-high average if everything goes well.

Losing Breanna Stewart to the New York Liberty stinks. Losing her and not getting any assets back in return for the best player in the WNBA is even worse. Storm fans desperately needed some good news. Especially, after it appeared Courtney Vandersloot was set to return to her home state until she changed her mind, possibly influenced directly by Stewie, to go to New York instead. With that in mind, it was great to see the announced return of Sami Whitcomb to the Storm.

Sami is a great player, a great person, and is beloved in this area. I could feel the happiness and joy from Storm fans online when this news dropped. When Whitcomb left for New York in 2021, she set career-highs in a starting role averaging nearly 12 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and nearly 3.0 APG.

I believe Whitcomb is more likely to come off the bench similar to her previous role in Seattle but there is an outside chance she starts. I think it’s fair to expect production somewhere between her final year in Seattle and her first year in New York (8.0-12.0 PPG).

Funny enough, I started working on this article Thursday night with the idea of pitching players with untapped potential that could blossom into legit WNBA ballers if just given the opportunity. Arella Guirantes was the first player that came to mind.

Guirantes is a player I pitched for the Storm to consider signing last season when the bench was getting outscored night in and night out every game (prior to Tina Charles joining the team). There were a lot of bad moments for Seattle’s reserves last year and it just felt like they needed an injection of youth and energy.

I won’t pretend to know for a fact that Guirantes will become a WNBA All-Star if just given the chance. But there is certainly talent there. Arella put up big scoring numbers in college, had a very strong showing in the FIBA World Cup, and is now playing quite well in Euroleague.

Sometimes it’s just about the right time and place. The right fit. At least as of right now, the Storm’s roster is nearly an empty canvas where Talisa Rhea, Alisha Valavanis, and Noelle Quinn can paint whatever they want. They can put together what they believe to be the most competitive team possible in hopes of earning a playoff spot or they can opt to go with more of a high-risk/high-reward stance. Take a bunch of fliers on prospects hoping to find gold with at least one of them even if it ultimately costs this team some wins during the 2023 WNBA season.

Just like Guirantes, Kaila Charles is another player worth taking a look at. Charles is currently averaging over 24 PPG in Israel while playing overseas this year. I really thought she had a very solid and underrated rookie season and I was surprised to see her get cut right before the start of the 2022 WNBA season.

Stephanie Talbot signed with the Los Angeles Sparks this week. And while I know many Storm fans are holding out hope that Gabby Williams will re-sign with the team I wouldn’t hold my breath. When I spoke with Gabby at the end of last season she was very upfront about how the new Prioritization Rules negatively affected a player like her. And that if the WNBA was trying to force players to choose between their overseas teams and playing in the WNBA, it wasn’t something she would even hesitate to second-guess. Williams was very emphatic that she makes significantly more money overseas than she can in the WNBA and that she would prioritize her teams in Europe.

With that in mind, that means Seattle is currently looking for at least a backup Small Forward. As of now, I expect Kia Nurse will likely slide over from the SG position to play SF in Seattle. This is something we saw her do in Phoenix when playing with Skylar Diggins-Smith (PG) and Diana Taurasi (SG).

Kaila Charles will certainly get some run at the Small Forward position and if she can make the best of her opportunity, she can carve out a solid role for herself on this team.

My last thought regarding Friday’s Free Agency signings by the Storm is that they went very heavily into the Shooting Guard position. Kia Nurse, Sami Whitcomb, and Arella Guirantes all play Shooting Guard. And Shooting Guard seemingly is the only spot the Storm have locked down on their roster with Jewell Loyd. But with all these other Shooting Guards being signed it did raise an eyebrow.

As I wrote previously, Stewie leaving the Storm is very damaging and could continue to set off further chain reactions. We’ve seen this already take place in Chicago where Candace Parker left the Sky to join the Aces. This then prompted Courtney Vandersloot to take her talents elsewhere and Azurá Stevens did the same. Allie Quigley opted to sit out and not even play in the WNBA this year. Emma Meesseman, a player that has prioritized overseas play before PRIORITIZATION was a strict rule in the WNBA has even less incentive to play in the WNBA now. Chicago Sky players are abandoning ship like they’re on the Titanic.

Now that Stewie is gone, the team needs to sit down with Jewell Loyd and find out what she wants to do. Is she willing to play in Seattle for several more years including possibly going through a lengthy rebuild as Sue Bird opted to do in 2014 and 2015?

If she is willing to stay beyond 2023, you build your team around Jewell Loyd and Ezi Magbegor. I believe Jewell is probably a Top 10 player in the WNBA. She’s certainly a Top 15 player. I think the sky is the limit for one Eziyoda Magbegor and I feel very confident she can turn into an All-Star level player especially if she’s put into an even larger role than she had last season (seems obvious now that Stewie is gone). Those are two key pieces you can build your franchise around. And maybe they find another diamond in Jade Melbourne who looked really good the other day.

However, if Loyd is upfront and tells them she’d prefer to be traded to a contender instead of going through a rebuild then you have to get as many valuable assets as you can for her. The Storm have already lost the best player in the world for nothing in return except for heartbreak. They can’t have the same thing happen with Loyd.

And so that’s why I say an eyebrow was raised by Friday’s moves. If I was going to trade away my star shooting guard, I would look to add multiple Shooting Guards through the draft or free agency to try and find her replacement. It’s possible that’s what the Storm have done with these roster moves.

Who Else is Out There?

There are still some high-profile names that have not signed with any team yet. Most notably, we still don’t know where Tina Charles is playing this year. It’s pretty apparent she’d like to chase after that elusive WNBA Championship she hasn’t won yet. If the Las Vegas Aces hadn’t signed Candace Parker, I think there was a decent chance that Charles could have ended up there. I don’t think there is room for her on the New York Liberty roster but then again, who isn’t playing for New York this year?

I don’t think the LA Sparks are an option especially if they do bring back both Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike. And she’s certainly not headed back to Phoenix after last year’s debacle. I can’t see it happening in Dallas either after they acquired Natasha Howard and re-signed Teaira McCowan (on top of already not playing #1 overall pick Charli Collier).

Minnesota could be the best fit following Sylvia Fowles’ retirement. But I also wouldn’t rule out a return to Seattle. It is interesting because I think it’s likely Seattle is headed towards a rebuild but if they did re-sign Tina Charles and added a couple more quality pieces they could be a Top 6 team in the WNBA still with Loyd, Nurse, Charles, and Magbegor.

Ezi’s development was really stunted once Tina Charles was added to the team last year. I don’t think that would be a problem this season because the team no longer has Breanna Stewart playing 35 minutes a night. But it’s possible they might want to just focus solely on Ezi developing and not have Charles there to (possibly) get in the way of that.

Assuming Brittney Griner isn’t a realistic option (she wants to re-sign with Phoenix), Marina Mabrey stands out as one of the best remaining free agents. Seattle has already loaded up on Shooting Guards so Mabrey might not be the best fit unless they believe she can fully transition to a starting Point Guard. Mabrey can absolutely light it up and this team needs to find more scoring threats.

If the team is looking for more projects that could develop into quality WNBA players if given the opportunity there are several players still available and even more that could become available during training camp cuts.

Lauren Cox was selected 3rd overall during the 2020 WNBA Draft and was the best player on Baylor’s 2019 National Championship team. She never really got a solid opportunity in Indiana and was surprisingly cut during the middle of her 2nd season. She was picked up by the LA Sparks and had some decent games for them in 2021. She is currently playing in Spain where she’s averaging 12 PPG and 6.0 RPG.

It’s certainly possible that Cox just wasn’t good enough to play in the WNBA but it sure seems like she got a pretty rotten deal in Indiana where they had a bad coach and a bad general manager.

Storm fans will remember Kiana Williams. Seattle’s first draft selection (2nd round) in 2021. Williams had no real opportunity playing behind Sue Bird and Jordin Canada in Seattle. She played 10 games with the Storm in 2021 and was brought back for three games last season when half the team was sick with COVID. Williams is currently playing overseas in Hungary averaging 16.4 PPG and 3.8 APG.

Depending on what the Storm do with the point guard position and if they plan to bring Jade Melbourne over this year or not; I see a scenario where they could bring Kiana Williams back to possibly compete for one of the point guard spots on the roster.

Sticking with point guards, Rui Machida and the Washington Mystics mutually agreed to part ways which means Machida is available to sign with any team. I’m not certain she’ll want to continue playing in the WNBA and she has some liabilities on defense but she wowed on the Olympic stage and had some positive moments for the Mystics last season.

Kennedy Burke is still available and was a surprise cut last season. She played extremely well overseas last season and is again this year. Burke is currently playing in France averaging 17.9 PPG and 4.6 RPG. With Gabby Williams unlikely to come over this year and Stephanie Talbot off to the City of Angels, Burke could get another opportunity with the Storm.

A few additional names to keep an eye out for once training camp cuts take place in a couple of months….

I know the Storm were very high on Evina Westbrook last season. She seems to be pretty coveted too because after she was cut by the Storm she ended up in Minnesota with the Lynx; when they had to cut her in the middle of the season, Evina was immediately picked up by the Washington Mystics.

She is currently a Reserved player signed to a training camp contract with the Washington Mystics. But if she doesn’t make their final roster I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Storm try to pick her back up.

I briefly mentioned her earlier but I’m fascinated to see what happens in Dallas with Charli Collier. She was drafted #1 overall in 2021 and got some opportunities in her rookie year with minimal results (around 3.5 PPG and RPG). But something must have happened between her and former coach Vickie Johnson. Collier was consistently a DNP (Did Not Play) - Coach’s Decision - last year. And when she did get in there she would play less than five minutes per game.

It’s certainly possible that Collier is just one of the biggest draft busts in WNBA history. But as we’ve seen with so many WNBA rookies and draft picks, she really hasn’t been given an opportunity to play, grow, and develop.

Collier is currently playing in Israel and averaging 14.2 PPG and nearly 9.5 RPG. She clearly had talent coming out of college at Texas or she wouldn’t have been projected and ultimately selected #1 overall in the 2021 WNBA Draft.

Latricia Trammell, the Dallas Wings’ new head coach, may have a much grander vision for Charli Collier on her team with a plan to play her significant minutes this season. But if she doesn’t, it really feels like Collier would be better off trying to get an opportunity somewhere else around the league. I honestly wouldn’t be shocked if Dallas did end up cutting her and cutting their losses. If that were to happen, she would be worth taking a chance on.

Another second-year player that seemed to fall out of favor last season was the 2021 Rookie of the Year, Michaela Onyenwere. It’s unclear if she just wasn’t a right fit for Sandy Brondello or what went wrong last year. Her minutes were cut nearly in half from her rookie season under Walt Hopkins and unsurprisingly, her production dropped off significantly.

Onyenwere is a player the Storm should have tried to acquire if they had been able to work out a sign-and-trade deal with Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty. From everything we know, that isn’t going to happen. But it is possible that the Liberty won’t have room for their former players with all their shiny new WNBA All-Stars.

I don’t expect her to get cut but if it happens the Storm would be smart to try and scoop her up. I believe Onyenwere is much closer to the 2021 version than what we saw last season.

Lastly, Nyara Sabally (if healthy) is another player to keep an eye on when New York has to make roster cuts. The Liberty have added way too many players and somebody isn’t going to make the team that would have otherwise. Unless they suspend her contract, New York may have to cut her/release her draft rights. This could allow another WNBA team to pick her up. While not nearly as talented as her sister Satou, Nyara still has the potential to be a good basketball player if she recovers from these injuries.

Let me know in the comments below what you think of the Storm’s free agent signings and who you hope to see them still add to their roster!

Update on 02/07/23

Some of the players I suggested the Storm could bring in to see if they can blossom with more playing time and a larger role have since signed with other WNBA teams. That list includes the following:

Lauren Cox has signed a training camp contract with the Connecticut Sun.

Kiana Williams has signed a training camp contract with the Minnesota Lynx

I didn’t list her previously but former Lynx and Storm player Mikiah “Kiki” Herbert Harrigan has also signed a training camp contract with the Connecticut Sun.

Since I originally wrote this article the Storm have officially announced that they’ve signed Ezi Magbegor to a new (two-year) deal. I have always written as if Magbegor would be on the team because she was a Reserved Free Agent. That meant that if she was going to play in the WNBA in 2023, it had to be with the Storm. What was interesting to see is that Ezi is getting a nice pay raise this year. If she had only signed a one-year Reserved contract she would have been paid between $60-70K. But now she will earn nearly $160,000 this year and a similar number for 2024.

There is no more Sue Bird. There is no more Stewie. Magbegor has the opportunity to be a large focal point of the franchise moving forward.

Magbegor wasn’t the only player the Storm signed this week. They also added Yvonne Turner. Storm fans may remember Turner for her performances against the Storm in the 2018 WNBA Playoffs with the Phoenix Mercury. Turner was given big minutes in Game 3 (38) and Game 5 (34) and put forth some impressive numbers. In Game 3, a Phoenix win, she scored 19 points, collected seven rebounds, and dished out six assists. In Game 5, the epic Sue Bird game, Turner added 19 points again and had three assists. Turner is currently playing with Ezi Magbegor overseas with Sopron (Hungary).

As of Tuesday night, we are still waiting to see which team Tina Charles signs with. We are also waiting to find out about other players including Marina Mabrey, Moriah Jefferson, and Jordin Canada.

Another thing to keep an eye on is the fact that the New York Liberty have not yet announced the signings of Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot. There are some wondering if a trade could still be taking place. From what we know, Stewie is likely to take less than the max which means a sign-and-trade between the Storm and the Liberty is unlikely. However, it’s possible New York will need to trade away pieces in general with all their off-season additions. As I talked about above, it feels like the Liberty may have to part with a piece or two whether that’s through trades or waiving a player.

In somewhat surprising news, we learned that the Las Vegas Aces waved top French prospect, Iliana Rupert. The 6’4” 21-year-old played with the Aces last season and in limited minutes showed some nice flashes. It was announced that Rupert requested her release from the Aces because they had concerns about her arriving late and because their roster is already stacked and she wants to find an opportunity where she can really develop and play a larger role. She likely will need to clear waivers first but the Storm would be doing themselves a disservice if they don’t try to add her if they are given the opportunity.

Another name I wonder if the Storm would consider bringing back is Elissa Cunane. Cunane was drafted by the Storm last season but was cut at the end of training camp. She was later picked up by the Minnesota Lynx on a Hardship contract but did not finish the season with any WNBA team. Cunane is currently playing in the Czech Republic where she’s averaging 12 PPG and 9.5 RPG.

Outside of Mercedes Russell and Ezi Magbegor the team’s current roster of eight players are all Guards/Wings. They are lacking legit post players and likely need to add at least two more to the roster.

We still don’t really know for certain the direction the Storm are headed this season. Until they sign elsewhere, it’s still possible the Storm could re-sign Tina Charles and add a player like Marina Mabrey. If they made those moves, they would be trying to compete for a playoff spot. And as Coach Mike Thibault recently stated, we still need to play the games. The Aces should have reached the Finals in 2021 but they were upset by the Phoenix Mercury. We all assume the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces will be the two teams in the Finals at the end of the season but a lot can happen between now and then.

Seattle’s moves (so far) mostly indicate a team that is looking to rebuild. The 2024 WNBA Draft class should have a lot of talent and landing a Top 2-3 pick could bring an elite player back to the franchise. Paired with Magbegor and (ideally) Loyd could allow the franchise to get back to its Championship ways sooner than later.


Notes: I appreciate everyone’s support! This is going to be an interesting season and hopefully a fun one. You can count on me to keep providing the content. For those becoming paid subscribers, you’ll get access to all the game recaps the morning after each game as well as articles like this and occasional interviews/podcasts before the general public.

Basketball Reference, HerHoopsStats, and Eurobasket were all used to collect stat information.