Seattle trades Katie Lou + 1st round pick for Gabby Williams
Seattle trades Katie Lou + 1st round pick for Gabby Williams
My thoughts on this trade and more as the WNBA off-season continues to heat up!
It was less than a year ago that the Seattle Storm traded away the number one overall draft pick for the 2021 draft to acquire Katie Lou Samuelson from the Dallas Wings. And now 360 days later the team has shipped her off to Los Angeles along with their first-round pick (9th overall) in the upcoming WNBA Draft, for Gabby Williams.
It’s a story that’s all too familiar for the 6’3” Forward from the University of Connecticut. Drafted 4th overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2019 WNBA Draft, Samuelson was shipped off to Dallas in February 2020, in exchange for Azura Stevens. That trade also cost the Sky their 2021 first-round pick.
After a difficult rookie season in which she broke her wrist and her playing time was extremely limited in Chicago, she would find some success in Dallas with an up-and-coming Wings team. She improved her scoring to 5.0 PPG which doubled her rookie output at a paltry 2.4 PPG.
Katie Lou would find herself involved in yet another trade in February 2021. This time being sent to the Seattle Storm in exchange for the number one overall pick which Seattle had acquired after trading Natasha Howard to the New York Liberty. The Storm were also given the Wings’ second-round pick in 2022 as part of the deal. It was a trade that was shocking to many across the WNBA landscape.
There had been a lot of talk about how the 2021 Draft class was incredibly weak. But we’re still talking about the number one overall pick here! Over the past ten years, who’s been the “worst” player to go number one? Chiney Ogwumike? Jackie Young? Kelsey Plum?
With Chiney it’s mainly due to her unfortunate injuries that have plagued her career. When she was healthy she was putting up 13-15 PPG and 7-9 RPG in her earlier seasons.
Kelsey Plum? She just won the 6th Player of the Year Award last season after averaging nearly 15.0 PPG coming off the bench. I expect Kelsey to have another successful season in Vegas this year with the Aces similar to the numbers she put up in 2021.
The answer is probably Jackie Young who averaged just 6.6 PPG her rookie year. But even then, she’s improved her scoring to double digits in her 2nd and 3rd seasons in the WNBA. Young was very impressive last year averaging over 12.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 3.0 APG. More importantly, watching Young continue to gain confidence and develop her skills she has looked like an extremely solid WNBA player at a minimum with still plenty of room to grow. Her ability to bully smaller guards is especially impressive.
And sure you could probably say “Well, really Arike Ogunbowale or Napheesa Collier should have been drafted #1 overall in 2019!” and I would agree with that. But then you would also say that Ezi Magbegor should have been taken in the Top 5 and fortunately for the Seattle Storm she was not!
The point being made here is that Katie Lou Samuelson for the top pick in the draft sure felt like a major reach one year ago. But here’s the funny thing, fast forward a year to 2022, and after what we witnessed from the rookie class of 2021, I think it’s safe to say it really wasn’t!
The Class of 2021 is historically bad. Out of the first ten picks in the draft, three of those players have already been cut. Most notably, 4th overall pick Kysre Gondrezick. A fourth player, Chelsea Dungee (5th overall) struggled for any playing time last season and is likely on the chopping block. The Dallas Wings will be forced to cut players before finalizing their roster. Two additional players were out injured all season in Jasmine Walker (7th overall) and Rennia Davis (9th overall).
Charli Collier, who ended up going number one overall, averaged around 3.5 PPG and 3.5 RPG her rookie season while struggling to get playing time in Vickie Johnson’s first year on the job in Dallas.
I still have high hopes for Awak Kuier and Aari McDonald but they are still very unproven in the WNBA at this point.
The reality is that Katie Lou Samuelson very well could end up having a better WNBA career than any of these top picks despite her tumultuous start to her career.
And I think that’s the hardest part of this trade for me.
Professional sports isn’t all about the glitz and glamour. The reality is many players struggle to find secure footing. Especially in the WNBA where many of them are lucky if they even last more than a single season before being cut.
But I feel for Katie Lou. Being traded to her 4th team in four years is a lot to deal with. The lack of stability. The pressure to succeed. The hit to her confidence. The self-doubt. This can’t be easy. Especially, for someone who has been open about her mental health struggles in the past.
It really felt like Lou had started to turn a corner with the Storm too. She had a four-game stretch where she scored 14 points in back-to-back games and 15 points two games later. But most impressively was her playoff performance against the Phoenix Mercury where she scored a career-high 18 points on 60% FG shooting including 4-6 from beyond the arc. She led the Storm in scoring that day and nearly helped them eliminate the Mercury despite not having Breanna Stewart on the floor.
That was the potential Lou possesses but has not consistently shown in her WNBA career. And unfortunately for her, she wasn’t able to reach that enough times throughout the 2021 season to give Seattle’s front office the confidence that she should be a part of their long-term plans with the Storm.
Now with another new team, Sparks’ Head Coach and General Manager Derek Fisher is happy to bring Samuelson on board.
“We’re excited to add Katie Lou Samuelson to our team,” General Manager/Head Coach Derek Fisher said. “In addition to her perimeter shooting, Katie Lou brings defensive versatility and length. She has great on-court instincts and we’re excited to build with her moving forward.”
“The addition of Katie Lou Samuelson, a first-round pick, plus meaningful cap space provides us the flexibility needed to strengthen our 2022 roster at multiple positions,” Fisher added. “This trade also increases our draft assets and better positions ourselves for future success. We wish Gabby Williams nothing but the best in Seattle.”
But Why the First Round Pick!?
OK, I might have lied. This might be the hardest part of the trade for me. You can make the argument that Gabby Williams is a better player than Katie Lou Samuelson. Frankly, you can make the argument that Katie Lou Samuelson is a better player than Gabby Williams. It really depends on your criteria and what you’re looking for specifically in a player.
This is what I don’t like. Katie Lou Samuelson is making half of what Gabby Williams is set to make in 2022 ($72,000 versus $144,000). But here’s the part I’m having a hard time understanding. The Sparks were DESPERATE to free up cap space this off-season. Los Angeles, without Candace Parker, without Chelsea Gray, was a BAD team in 2021. And their cap situation meant they were very likely going to be a bad team again in 2022 without making some moves. By freeing up over $70,000 in salary cap space, the Sparks now have enough money to potentially attract a big-time free agent like Liz Cambage.
Cambage wanted to go to LA back when she was still playing for the Dallas Wings. She’s not returning the Las Vegas Aces from all the reports we’ve seen. If she’s going to play in the WNBA season, the most likely destination is in LA with the Sparks. By trading Gabby Williams to Seattle, the Sparks should have enough salary cap space to make that deal work.
The Storm are doing Los Angeles a huge favor by helping them free up cap space to sign All-Star Liz Cambage (theoretically). So why is Seattle the one trading away their first-round pick in this deal?
Seattle has THREE picks in the second round. Why couldn’t they have included one of those in the deal instead? Considering the Storm are already doing the Sparks a huge favor with their cap situation it’s surprising they had to throw in their first-round pick too.
This leads me to believe that Seattle must have initiated this trade. That they were the desperate ones during negotiations. Whether that was Storm General Manager Talisa Rhea or Coach Noelle Quinn. The front office must have a significantly higher view of Gabby Williams compared to Katie Lou Samuelson.
Looking over their stats both players have yet to make a real strong mark in the WNBA.
In Gabby’s third season (2020) she averaged 7.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG. In Lou’s third season (2021), she averaged 7.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.7 APG. Lou is the significantly better three-point shooter (35.1% compared to 28.6%). Gabby is the better defender averaging 1.3 SPG compared to Lou’s 0.7.
Both players have shown a lot of promise while playing overseas. Gabby is averaging 13.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 3.9 APG while playing for Sopron Basket (HUN) in the Euroleague. Samuelson is putting up comparable stats in the Euroleague with 15.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.3 APG while playing for Perfumerias Avenida (ESP).
TRADE ALERT!
I wasn’t even able to finish writing this article before the Los Angeles Sparks made another big move. Well, it hasn’t been officially announced by the team yet but Rachel Galligan is reporting that the Los Angeles Sparks are finalizing a deal to acquire Chennedy Carter in exchange for Erica Wheeler and additional draft picks.
Because Carter is on her rookie contract still (just as Katie Lou is) this is freeing up even more salary cap space for the Sparks. It is looking more and more likely that the team will be making a push to sign All-Star Center Liz Cambage and an additional player.
It looks like the other player will be Seattle’s Jordin Canada as Rachel has now reported this.
The writing was unfortunately on the wall for Jordin in Seattle once it was reported that Sue Bird was returning and the team brought in Briann January. Jordin has always been a class act when I’ve had the opportunity to interview her and I wish her nothing but the best.
I’ll be writing another article a little later on covering the best moves around the league and I can add to this story more then.
Now back to the Gabby Williams/Katie Lou trade discussion…
What is Seattle getting in Gabby Williams?
Speed, athleticism, versatility, defense! Those are some words to describe Gabby Williams’ performance on a basketball court. You can watch some highlights of Gabby below.
When I spoke to Storm General Manager Talisa Rhea the other day I asked her if there was an emphasis on improving the team’s defense with the additions of Briann January and Gabby Williams.
“We saw defense and rebounding as a couple of areas where we could really improve. I think we can become more efficient offensively as well. We saw it as an opportunity to provide some support on the defensive end, get a little bit more physicality and aggressiveness on our roster. We felt Bri and Gabby bring that for sure! They’re really going to complement the other pieces we have on our roster, Jewell being a key one at the guard position. Just trying to find players that are versatile that can play multiple positions. We did feel defense and rebounding, that edge and physicality was something we were really looking to bring into our roster” Rhea told me.
Gabby is a versatile player and that is probably her best attribute. She won National Defensive Player of the Year at UConn in 2017. And at times in Chicago, she worked at the point guard position backing up Courtney Vandersloot to which Chicago fans called her “Point Gabby”. You can see some of that ability as well in the video highlights above.
Offensively, her ability to create her own shot and attack the rim is probably what she’s best at. She has a solid mid-range game and has improved her three-point shooting since college.
She also rebounds the basketball extremely well for a player of her size. She’s averaged 4.0 RPG or higher in two of her three WNBA seasons. And her career average is a full rebound more than Katie Lou despite being four inches shorter than Samuelson.
I’ve seen the comparison to Alysha Clark in recent days. Gabby is more athletic than AC but doesn’t really have that post-up game. I think the comparison is being made more for how she could potentially fit in with the Storm’s roster. A player that is a strong defender and good rebounder, but one who can also score when left open or given the opportunity.
If Williams is able to replicate some of Clark’s roles and success the Storm are going to be very happy with this trade.
From Seattle’s press release.
“Gabby is a versatile player that brings a dynamic skill set to our team,” said Talisa Rhea, Storm General Manager. “As we have watched her develop in the WNBA and excel internationally we are thrilled she will be joining us in Seattle and believe she can have an immediate impact on our roster.”
Williams added her own thoughts to being traded to Seattle.
“I couldn’t be more excited to come to the WNBA this summer with the Seattle Storm,” said Williams. “It feels great to know that I’ll be joining a franchise with such an incredible culture. I have the opportunity to play with and learn from players who I consider to be some of the greatest of all time and I’m absolutely looking forward to it.”
The biggest question of uncertainty may involve Williams’ commitment to the French National Team. She opted not to play for the Sparks in 2021 in order to focus on her overseas commitments. With the new prioritization rule coming into effect in the WNBA starting in 2023 (that almost forces players to choose between playing in the WNBA or overseas), it’ll be interesting to see how that affects Gabby’s ability to be on the court with the Storm. Only time will tell on that.
Additional Storm News
Seattle announced on Friday that they have re-signed Stephanie Talbot. This was a critical signing for the Storm especially after losing the three-point shooting of Katie Lou. Williams should bring a lot to the Storm but she won’t help Seattle space the floor as effectively as Samuelson could. Because of that, it was absolutely imperative that the Storm either re-sign Stephanie Talbot or bring in someone like Rebecca Allen.
I wrote about that earlier during my Free Agent Recruiting articles. I was right on the money here.
“There are other factors. Money will be a big one. Allen made over $105,000 this past season and is likely due for a decent bump in pay. I expect Allen will command somewhere between $125,000-$160,000. By comparison, Talbot made $70,000 last season and likely can be re-signed by Seattle for a good amount less than what Rebecca Allen will command on the open market. The organization will have to determine which player can ultimately make them better and fit within the salary cap.”
It’s been reported that Allen is signing for around $280,000 on a two-year deal. Right around $140K per year. By comparison, Seattle is bringing Talbot at about half of that similar to her 2021 salary. Which makes for an excellent deal by the Storm’s front office.
Seattle’s head coach and the general manager spoke on the re-signing via the Storm’s press release.
“Steph perfectly fits our culture and we are excited to have her back,” said Noelle Quinn, Storm Head Coach. “Her energy is contagious and her ability to stretch the floor with her three-point shooting is critical for how we like to play. Steph has played at a high level in the WNBL and it’s clear that growth and confidence has translated over into the WNBA.”
“Steph was a great addition to the Storm last season with her consistent energy and strong work ethic,” said Talisa Rhea, Storm General Manager. “She brings an ability to spread the floor and flow within our offensive systems and defensively, her high activity level and instincts provide great impact to our team. We are looking forward to Steph’s second year with the Storm.”
Talbot had previously told me in interviews over the past year that she told her agent she wanted to come play in Seattle (prior to being traded to the Storm). And at the end of the season, she emphasized that she wanted to be back with the team and hoped the team would re-sign her.
“I am super excited to stay in Seattle with such a great organization,” said Talbot. “I can’t wait to play at Climate Pledge Arena and compete for a championship with a great group of girls.”
Updated Roster
PG: Sue Bird, Briann January
SG: Jewell Loyd, Epiphanny Prince
SF: Gabby Williams, Stephanie Talbot, Kennedy Burke
PF: Breanna Stewart, Kiki Harrigan
C: Mercedes Russell, Ezi Magbegor
The Storm’s roster is most likely finalized outside of training camp contracts for extra bodies. I was wondering if the team was looking to trade the rights of Jordin Canada to another team to maybe pick up some type of asset but it looks like that didn’t come to fruition. With Canada reportedly signing with the Sparks it’s too bad Seattle wasn’t able to trade Jordin and Katie Lou in exchange for Gabby Williams without giving up their first round pick.
The only other roster move I could see by Seattle would see them cutting a player with an unprotected contract to maybe pick up another player that gets cut ala what the Storm did when the Liberty dropped Mercedes Russell and Seattle cut their 2nd round pick Teana Muldrow back in 2018. The only real options to cut a player would be Prince, Harrigan, or Burke. But the team gave up a 1st round pick in 2021 for Burke, a 2022 1st round pick for Harrigan, and Prince has been a trusted veteran the past two seasons.
Notes: The LA Sparks have now made the trade for Chennedy Carter official but I’m not going to re-write the article for a third time.
I greatly appreciate those that have become paid subscribers or renewed their membership! It’s an exciting time in the WNBA and I look forward to covering the Storm and the league in 2022. Thanks for all your support!
Follow my Twitter (@WNBAStormChaser)
Photo Credits to Neil Enns/Seattle Storm/WNBA Photography.