Storm Would Be Foolish to Trade #2

Thoughts on how Seattle builds for now and the future.

On Saturday, February 1st, the major three-team trade between the Seattle Storm, Las Vegas Aces, and Los Angeles Sparks is expected to be made official. The deal has been reported as…

• Seattle sends Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas and #9 overall (2025 1st round pick) to LA. The Storm send their 2026 2nd round pick to the Sparks.

• Las Vegas sends Kelsey Plum to the Sparks and their 2026 1st round pick to Seattle.

• LA sends #2 overall (2025 1st round) and Li Yueru to Seattle. #13 overall to Las Vegas.

Now that Seattle has the #2 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft they have more options. The Storm will have multiple choices in the draft if they stay at the two-spot. That includes Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles and USC’s Kiki Iriafen as the headlining prospects, along with 19-year-old French star Dominique Malonga.

With Jewell Loyd being traded to the Aces, the Storm are losing a 15-20 PPG player. Some believe to compete for a Championship in 2025, that Seattle needs to use the #2 pick in the upcoming draft as a trade piece for an established star. Seattle could use the pick as an immediate fix for losing Loyd. That could imply making a trade for Marina Mabrey (Sun) or Ariel Atkins (Mystics). Allisha Gray (Dream) might have been an option had Atlanta not been so aggressive in Free Agency already (adding Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones).

I don’t see many other options for the Storm to make an instant move as most of the WNBA teams who have talent are trying to make a run at the title themselves. Minnesota wouldn’t give up Kayla McBride. Phoenix isn’t going to give up Kahleah Copper.

More importantly, even if Seattle were to add a player like Mabrey or Atkins, I don’t think that would put them above the New York Liberty. Honestly, they’d probably still be below Las Vegas and Minnesota as well. The Storm have enough high-end talent with Skylar, Ezi, Gabby, and Nneka. They need to strengthen their bench.

And we have to think about true value. The #2 overall pick, which will bring top young talent to Seattle on a current CBA rookie-scale contract is going to be extremely valuable; especially after the 2025 season, when the Collective Bargaining Agreement is expected to be changed. Player salaries are likely to go up a significant amount. When the CBA was redone in 2020, the max salary went from around $115,000 to $230,000+. Rookie contracts are around $75,000. Having a lottery-talented player on a cheap contract is much more valuable. We don’t know exactly how the new CBA will change things, but the #2 pick should remain on a cheaper rookie contract for the next several seasons. If you compare that to a veteran player on a one-year deal, I think it’s a no-brainer that the #2 pick holds significantly more value. Trading one of the top draft picks for a player who likely would be less talented than Jewell Loyd on a one-year deal would be extremely foolish.

A Different Approach

After the team re-signed Loyd in late 2023, they tried to replicate the New York Liberty’s approach of adding multiple All-Stars in one offseason to immediately compete for a Championship. To get this done, they had to sacrifice the team’s future. The Storm gave up a lottery selection that turned into Rickea Jackson. Seattle gave up the chance to go young and build through the draft. It also cost them a chance to win the lottery naturally for 2025. Had the team not made a big splash in the 2024 Free Agency, they likely would have missed the playoffs again and would have been in line for a Top 3 draft pick. By signing Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike, it gave the Storm a chance to compete for a title in 2024.

The end goal is always to win the Championship right? Well, building a team with Jewell Loyd, Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins-Smith, and Ezi Magbegor, on paper, looks like a championship team. It obviously didn’t work out but I have a hard time faulting the logic behind it. They saw what the Liberty were able to do and took a chance.

We fast forward to the present day. Without Jewell Loyd on the roster, the expectation may be that the team won’t be as good as they were a year ago. However, I can make the argument the team can be better off. Loyd is an incredibly gifted scorer but as we know, she isn’t always the most efficient. Jewell shot 36% overall and 27% on three-point attempts this past season.

Loyd averaged 17 FGA (Field Goal Attempts) per game in 2024 which led the Storm. Those shot attempts will now likely be divvied up and given to Nneka, Ezi, Skylar, Gabby, and Jordan. Besides Diggins-Smith, those other four players all shot 48% or better last season. Having more efficient scorers take more shots is not a bad thing.

Last year the Storm went all in with a quick fix. This year the Storm have the opportunity to do something different. They can build for the future while also putting together a strong enough roster to make the playoffs and have a shot at a Championship.

As mentioned above, the Storm still have a lot of talent on their roster. Skylar Diggins-Smith and Ezi Magbegor were already under contract. Chiney Ogwumike announced on ESPN on Friday that her sister, Nneka Ogwumike, would be re-signing with the Seattle Storm. The team has also placed the Core tag on Gabby Williams.

Seattle should still have enough cap space where they could make an impact move. As of this writing, DeWanna Bonner is still available. The team could also try to lure Tiffany Hayes out of Las Vegas. Adding either of those players would improve the roster and increase their odds of winning a title.

But even if they don’t win the 2025 Championship, having the #2 pick in the draft allows Seattle to build their roster for the future. Let’s say Seattle takes Olivia Miles, PG out of Notre Dame. The Storm would then have a younger core of Miles (22 years old), Jordan Horston (23), and Ezi Magbegor (25). We can potentially include Gabby Williams (28) as part of this core group. Here you have a point guard, a couple of wings, and a post that are all talented pieces to build a team around. All of these players are 25 or younger (except for Gabby).

On top of this group, unless additional trades are made, the Storm currently hold three first-round picks in 2026. Ideally, they’ll be able to add at least one quality starter from that group.

Bookmark this Paige

Lastly, trading away the #2 pick for a one-year rental also means Seattle loses their top asset in their ability to try and swing a trade with the Dallas Wings for the top pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft. Having the #2 pick gives the Storm the edge over other WNBA teams in a potential deal.

Until the WNBA Draft occurs in April, the Storm need to hang onto their pick. The only way the #2 pick is worth trading is if it’s for #1.

If Seattle finds a way to make a deal for Paige Bueckers, then she will become a part of Seattle’s younger core. Just swap Miles for Bueckers with what I wrote above. The Storm have an opportunity to build one of the best core groups where their prime might be 3-5 years from now.

The Indiana Fever look like they could become the next strong contender behind Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark. Maybe the Storm can be that next team by building through their youth. That starts by keeping their pick or moving up to #1 overall.

Notes:
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