Should they stay or should they go?

I take a look at which players the Storm should bring back next season and which they may want to move on from.

The 2022 WNBA season did not result in a championship for the Seattle Storm and that’s unfortunate. They ran into an absolute buzzsaw with the Las Vegas Aces and for Seattle, it’s time to turn their attention to the 2023 season.

The Storm say goodbye to Sue Bird as she moves on to retirement. As the franchise ushers in a new era, the cupboards are surprisingly bare. But I believe this was intentional. Alisha Valavanis and now General Manager Talisa Rhea have set the Storm up for a fascinating offseason.

Currently, only two players are under contract with the Storm heading into the 2023 season. Jewell Loyd and Mercedes Russell. Loyd signed a two-year supermax contract before this season. Russell signed a three-year contract that will pay her $160K annually through 2024. Unfortunately, Russell was not able to play this season as she dealt with medical issues. The hope is she will be back playing with the team next year.

It should be noted that Ezi Magbegor, while technically not under contract, is a Reserved Free Agent. This means that if she’s playing in the WNBA next season it can only be with the Seattle Storm. Unless they decided they didn’t want her anymore. Considering Magbegor is looked at as a cornerstone piece of the franchise (alongside Loyd and Stewart) and isn’t even close to hitting her prime at the age of 23; the Storm front office would be crazy not to bring her back.

With those three players established I’d like to go through the rest of the roster and discuss whether I think the Storm should bring them back or move on.

Sue Bird

2022 Stats: 7.8 PPG | 1.9 RPG | 6.0 APG | 1.2 SPG
Free Agent Status: Retired
Should they bring her back?: N/A

As mentioned above Sue Bird is finally retiring after 21 seasons with the Seattle Storm franchise. The team will be looking for a new starting Point Guard for next year. There aren’t a ton of obvious choices to replace Bird at this moment. But I’ll work on a deeper dive later on to discuss that topic.

Briann January

2022 Stats: 3.7 PPG | 1.0 RPG | 2.4 APG
Free Agent Status: Retired
Should they bring her back?: N/A

Similar to Bird, Briann January is retiring from the WNBA and won’t return next season. She is opting to play overseas this year but has ruled out a return to the WNBA in 2023. Not only will Seattle need to find a starting Point Guard to replace Bird but they will have to find a legit backup PG to replace January. There is some thought that could be Jade Melbourne who was drafted in the 3rd round this past season and remained in Australia to continue to develop her game (just as Ezi did). There have been some mixed reports on whether Melbourne is really a point guard or just a shooting guard but my understanding is the Storm are hoping to develop her into a point guard if possible.

If she does join training camp in 2023, Melbourne will look to make the team in a backup role. I don’t expect them to push her as a starting point guard for them. January is retiring so they won’t be deciding on whether to bring her back or not.

Breanna Stewart

2022 Stats: 21.8 PPG | 7.6 RPG | 2.9 APG | 1.6 SPG
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
Should they bring her back?: Yes

This one is a no-brainer. Stewart is arguably the best player in the WNBA even if she didn’t win the Most Valuable Player award this year. She is a major cornerstone piece that you literally build your entire team around. Stewart only signed a one-year deal prior to this season and is an Unrestricted Free Agent meaning she can sign with any team. Seattle does not have the ability to Core Stewie (franchise tag) because they Cored Jewell this past season and they signed her to a two-year deal; this means they are unable to use the Core tag again until 2024.

Stewie was noncommital during exit interviews and there are a number of decisions that will come into question. The New York Liberty heavily recruited Stewart this past offseason and the situation could play out similar to what happened with Chelsea Gray and the Aces. Gray, while playing for the Los Angeles Sparks, did speak with Vegas before staying in Los Angeles one more season. But then she left LA for Las Vegas the following year. There has been some talk that Stewart wants to be closer to home where she grew up (Syracuse, New York). Now that she has a family, Stewart also has to factor in her wife’s input. Does Marta want to stay on the West Coast and be in Seattle? Or would she prefer to move back east?

Depending on what the Storm do in free agency, Stewart may opt to sign with another team that has more talent on paper than Seattle. Although, Seattle is going to have a lot of money to pay whatever players they want with so many contracts coming off the books. The team should be able to put together a roster that would impress Stewart as long as they can successfully recruit key players.

There’s another albatross hanging over this topic. And that’s the WNBA’s prioritization clause that goes into effect starting next year. After Stewart signed the one-year deal this offseason I wrote about how it’s possible that she doesn’t play with ANY WNBA franchise in 2023. She could opt to play exclusively in the Euroleague/Overseas.

Gabby Williams

2022 Stats: 7.5 PPG | 5.0 RPG | 3.1 APG | 1.5 SPG
Free Agent Status: Restricted
Should they bring her back?: Yes*

Gabby Williams is a Restricted Free Agent which means the Storm can match any offer sheet she receives from any of the other WNBA teams. The problem is, I’m not convinced Gabby wants to play in the WNBA next season. She was pretty upfront during her exit interview at the conclusion of the season that she was not happy at all with the Prioritization clause. And that the WNBA offers weren’t anywhere close to what she can make overseas. She stated it wasn’t even a consideration if she had to choose between the two and the league is making her choose.

And that is why my answer is “Yes, they should be her back” with a large asterisk. Unless the WNBA changes course on their penalties for playing overseas or the Storm offers her a max contract (I wouldn’t), there is a very high probability that Gabby Williams will not be playing in the WNBA in 2023.

If the issues are resolved and Gabby is able to and wants to play in the WNBA next season then the Storm should absolutely bring her back. There is still a ton of untapped potential with Williams similar to what we’ve seen from Magbegor. Gabby talked about her being a positionless player and that’s true. She can essentially play anywhere between the 1 (Point Guard) and the 4 (Power Forward). She has elite athleticism and rebounds extremely well for a guard/wing. Gabby has the ability to get downhill and attack the rim better than anyone on the roster. And she’s proven that she can run the fast break and be a solid distributor as well. While Gabby’s offense is still a work in progress it did improve throughout the season. And her defense has been legit all year long.

There is way too much potential with Gabby that the Storm should look to bring her back to the team if she is going to play in the WNBA. Williams also mentioned how much fun she had in Seattle and with the Storm so there appears to be mutual interest if they can get past the prioritization hurdles which at this moment in time does not look likely.

Epiphanny Prince

2022 Stats: 3.9 PPG | 1.0 RPG | 1.8 RPG
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
Should they bring her back?: No

Prince averaged a career-low in points and Field Goal percentage (35.5%) this season. Her shooting percentage dropped nearly 10% from last season (44%). The drop-off in production was noticeable. Seattle really lacked effective scoring off the bench this year. Especially prior to Tina Charles joining the team halfway through the season. It put a ton of pressure on the starters to put up points. With Jewell Loyd’s scoring dropping a bit from 2021 (which was a career year for her) and Gabby Williams not scoring in double figures through the first 15 games of the season (nearly 50%) it put a tremendous burden on Breanna Stewart to pick up the slack. The fact that the bench wasn’t very productive just made that even worse.

The Storm’s front office rounded out the team with aging veterans and it didn’t work out. With Bird and January retiring, the team needs to look to go younger. Jewell Loyd, who is now the longest-tenured player on the team should honestly be the Storm’s oldest player (unless they bring back Tina). Instead of surrounding Stewie and Loyd with aging veterans, they should surround them with young, hungry, athletic players. Whether that is rookies or players with around 5 years or less experience.

There are plenty of younger talented players the team could add. Older players that have more than 10 years of experience and who have clearly seen their production drop in recent seasons don’t magically revert back to their prime from five years ago as they get older.

One of the biggest reasons the Las Vegas Aces beat the Storm in the playoffs is because they were younger, hungrier, and more athletic than Seattle. It’s time for the Storm to add younger talent, develop them, and grow for the future.

Jantel Lavender

2022 Stats: 3.8 PPG | 3.3 RPG | 0.9 APG
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
Should they bring her back?: No

Jantel Lavender looked really good in training camp. Especially, when compared to Elissa Cunane and Mikiah Herbert Harrigan. When comparing the other options, I do believe Seattle made the right choice in adding her to the team. Lavender even had some solid performances very early on in the season for the Storm; 9 points in the season opener and 12 points in late May against the New York Liberty. However, as the season progressed her playing time decreased more and more. Once Tina Charles arrived and got adjusted to the team, Lavender rode the bench the rest of the season. She did not play at all in the playoffs.

During her exit interviews, when she was asked about her future plans. She stated she planned to play overseas again because it helped boost her confidence. Then she was very frank and I appreciated her honesty. Jantel essentially said that if she was going to have a similar situation that she did this season (riding the bench almost every game) then she would rather not return to the WNBA and just allow a younger player to take her spot on the roster.

When factoring in whether she should re-sign with the Storm, I don’t see the point in doing so. If things work out for the Storm and they can re-sign Breanna Stewart, keep Ezi Magbegor, and if Mercedes Russell returns to action and is healthy. Then there is no spot in the rotation for Lavender.

As Jantel said herself, give that spot to a rookie or younger player. And I completely agree with that.

Stephanie Talbot

2022 Stats: 5.0 PPG | 3.1 RPG | 1.3 APG
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
Should they bring her back?: Yes

While Talbot’s numbers dropped a tiny bit from 2021 her production was still steady. Steph brings a lot of positives to the team including her three-point shooting, her defense, and her rebounding ability. She shot nearly 42% from three-point range in 2021 and roughly 40% this year. That was good for the 10th best in the entire WNBA just ahead of Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd. Her excellent shooting helps the Storm space the floor with their offense.

The reasons listed above are why the Storm should look to bring her back. But there are more. This was just Stephanie’s 5th season in the WNBA and she is slightly younger than Jewell Loyd. That leads me to believe we still haven’t seen the best from Steph yet. There is still more room to grow and get better and I believe her overall numbers can improve.

Lastly, the Storm’s front office got a great deal by signing Talbot to a minimum contract where she made only around $72,000 this past season. She has expressed an interest in returning to the Storm and I can’t envision a scenario where they wouldn’t want to bring her back. She might look for higher paying offers but if she’s willing to re-sign with the team for somewhere between $70-100K then I believe she will return to the Storm in 2023.

Tina Charles

2022 Stats: 14.8 PPG | 7.3 RPG | 2.0 APG (this includes both Seattle and Phoenix)
Free Agent Status: Unrestricted
Should they bring her back?: MAYBE

This is the most complicated choice for the Storm organization moving into the offseason. I can make the argument for both decisions and I will do so here.

Charles signed with the Storm halfway through this past season. She played in exactly 50% of the games with Seattle (18 games) plus the playoffs. During the regular season, she averaged 25 MPG in Seattle while producing 12.8 PPG and 7.4 RPG. She signed for the veteran minimum for half a season, where she made less than $35,000 with the Storm. Obviously, that type of production for the money is well worth the investment.

During the playoffs, her scoring went down a little bit dropping to 11.5 PPG but her rebounding went up to 8.8 RPG. She really struggled in the final two playoff games against Las Vegas missing critical free throws in Game 3 and scoring just two points in Game 4.

Charles was the only player not to speak with the media during exit interviews that took place the day after the Aces eliminated the Storm from the playoffs. Because of that, I wasn’t able to talk with Tina about what she expects for the future or if she would be interested in playing for the Storm in 2023. What I can say is that she did praise the team, the coaching staff, and the organization during interviews that took place as the season played out. She spoke very fondly of her experience so you’d have to believe there would be at least some interest on her end to return.

How should the Storm handle this?

Let me make the argument for and against bringing back Tina Charles.

Why they should bring Charles back

Tina Charles is still a very good player if not an elite one. She can consistently contribute near double-doubles with points and rebounds and can still be one of Seattle’s top scorers even if she isn’t the primary scorer on the team. The team really struggled with the offense this season and that’s something Tina can provide in spades.

If Charles is willing to take less money like she did last season with both Phoenix and Seattle, the team is getting an excellent bargain and her contributions would far outpace her salary.

The number one reason you’d bring Tina Charles back - What if Breanna Stewart signs with another WNBA team or doesn’t play in the WNBA at all next season? This is the DoomsDay scenario for the Storm but it’s not 100% unrealistic. If the Storm lose Stewie there would be a gigantic hole in their roster. They would be without their top post player, their leading scorer, and rebounder. Charles is not Stewart but she could certainly replicate a lot of the points and rebounds you would miss without Stewart on the floor.

Another thing to consider is - what if Mercedes Russell doesn’t recover from her health problems? The hope is that Russell will be 100% healthy and return to full-time action with the Storm in 2023. But if she is unable to, the Storm are going to need more depth at the 4/5 position. Having Breanna Stewart and Ezi Magbegor isn’t quite enough.

Why they shouldn’t bring Charles back

The number one reason not to bring Tina Charles back is that her presence stunted Ezi Magbegor’s growth. Ezi just turned 23 years old last month. She is literally the future of the franchise. With Mercedes Russell out injured and Charles not on the team yet, Magbegor showed tremendous growth this season. She led the WNBA in blocked shots at nearly 3.0 BPG through the first half of the season. She was also averaging over double figures. Her offense continued to develop as she started knocking down three-pointers this season expanding her range. But a lot of that all went away once Magbegor was relegated to the bench in favor of Charles. Ezi’s minutes were reduced severely and it felt like her confidence was as well. She didn’t look to score nearly as often and didn’t take many three-pointers either.

It’s unlikely that Magbegor will ever be as talented of an offensive player as Charles during her career. However, when she was getting starters’ minutes she was putting up similar numbers to what Tina averaged this season with the Storm. And Ezi just finished her third year. She is so young and has so much room to grow but you have to allow that growth to happen. That growth isn’t going to happen if Ezi is only playing 10-15 MPG while Tina Charles gets most of her minutes.

With Sue Bird retiring, the team may feel less inclined to try to win at all costs and instead look to develop and grow younger players (like Magbegor) next season. Even if that means they deal with some growing pains along the way.

The other reason the Storm may not want to bring her back is there becomes a log jam at the post positions if Stewart re-signs and Mercedes Russell returns fully healthy. Once Charles was added to the team, Seattle primarily used a three-post rotation of Stewart, Charles, and Magbegor. Only on rare occasions did they use four posts with Jantel Lavender. Especially because they can also use Gabby or Stephanie as an undersized power forward if necessary.

The Storm signed Mercedes Russell to a three-year deal where they pay her $160,000 per season. If she is healthy and they bring Stewart, Magbegor, and Charles all back. Is Russell and her $160,000 relegated to the end of the bench where she may not play at all? It’s a tough situation to be in because the team wouldn’t want to pay that much and not have her play at all. At the same time, Charles would likely put up better numbers than Mercedes so you wouldn’t bench Charles in favor of Russell. If you were to do that then why re-sign Tina in the first place? The only other option in this scenario would be if they traded away Russell. But that would be difficult to do with her health issues and her high salary.

Another issue would be if Charles asks for max or supermax money now that the Storm have more money to spend. In this scenario, I’d be hesitant if she was asking for $200K or more. It really depends on if they bring Stewart back and who else they’d want to sign. There are some big-name free agents out there including Nneka Ogwumike, Courtney Vandersloot, Candace Parker, Emma Meesseman, etc.

Lastly, did Tina Charles truly make them a better team? It’s honestly hard to say. She definitely did help improve the team’s rebounding. But in the 18 games the Storm played without Charles they went 11-7 and that included multiple games where they lost Stewart, Bird, Magbegor, and Talbot to COVID. After Tina joined the team, the Storm went 11-7. And they went 3-3 in the playoffs. From a record standpoint, the team wasn’t any better than they were without her.

In Conclusion

The great news is that the Storm have strategically put themselves in an excellent position to re-sign current players and attract new free agents with so many contracts expiring at the end of this season. They have the money to bring Stewart back and attract another big-name free agent while also re-signing some of their role players.

They will have a tough decision to make on Tina Charles if she even wants to come back to Seattle.

Overall, the Storm should look to go younger and develop athletic players that are in their early-to-mid twenties.

If the team is able to work around the prioritization clause they can bring Stewie and Gabby back. You can build a legit contender around Jewell Loyd, Breanna Stewart, Gabby Williams, and Ezi Magbegor. They’re just going to have to find their new starting point guard and add better role players to fill out the roster.

Notes:
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