{"id":226680,"date":"2025-10-15T14:21:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T14:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/226680\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T14:21:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T14:21:08","slug":"2025-26-wnba-offseason-guides-seattle-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/226680\/","title":{"rendered":"2025-26 WNBA Offseason Guides: Seattle Storm"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Previously published 2025-26 Offseason Guides:<\/p>\n

Chicago Sky<\/a>
Connecticut Sun<\/a>
Dallas Wings<\/a>
Washington Mystics<\/a>
Los Angeles Sparks<\/a>
Golden State Valkyries<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Seattle Storm players Ezi Magbegor (13), Nneka Ogwumike (3), Skylar Diggins (4), and Gabby Williams (5). Photo credit: Chris Poss<\/p>\n

2025 record: 23-21. 8th in offensive rating, 4th in defensive rating. Finished 7th in the standings, lost to Las Vegas 2-1 in the first round.<\/p>\n

2026 draft picks: Seattle gave up their own 2026 first-round pick in the deadline trade to acquire Brittney Sykes but still hold two other 2026 first-rounders anyway. They got Las Vegas\u2019s pick as part of the Jewell Loyd trade, and Los Angeles\u2019s from the Kia Nurse deal back before the 2024 season. The Aces\u2019 pick will be 14th but the Sparks\u2019 pick gives Seattle lottery interest and the third-best odds at jumping to the No. 1 overall spot. The Storm will also be picking right at the top of the second round, thanks to acquiring Dallas\u2019s second-rounder in the midseason Li Yueru trade, although Seattle\u2019s own second-round pick went to LA in the Loyd deal. The Storm also still have their own third-rounder.<\/p>\n

Free agents: Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike (both uncoreable unrestricted free agents), Gabby Williams, Brittney Sykes, Ezi Magbegor, Katie Lou Samuelson, Erica Wheeler, Tiffany Mitchell (all unrestricted free agents), Mackenzie Holmes, Zia Cooke (both reserved).<\/p>\n

Under contract: Lexie Brown, Dominique Malonga, Jordan Horston, Nika M\u00fchl<\/p>\n

2025 performance: Inconsistent and ultimately, yet again, rather disappointing. A couple of years ago when Breanna Stewart walked away for nothing and Sue Bird retired, there was a brief rebuilding plan in Seattle. That was thrown quickly to the wayside when Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike both agreed to join the Storm. Initially that was as a \u2018big three\u2019 with Jewell Loyd, but the plan didn\u2019t really change when Loyd was traded and replaced by veteran pieces like Gabby Williams and Alysha Clark (then later, Brittney Sykes). This was a team built to contend that could never maintain the consistency necessary for contention, and that was ultimately worse this year than in 2024. The positive angle would be that they were one Jackie Young putback away from eliminating the team that went on to win the championship. If that shot rolls off, then views of the Storm\u2019s 2025 performance could be very different. But it would be papering over the cracks that were never really filled all year.<\/p>\n

Depth was an issue all season after Jordan Horston and Nika M\u00fchl were both ruled out for the year due to offseason injuries and then Katie Lou Samuelson got hurt during camp (and the Storm refused to trade her contract after that happened). Clark never really fit and was swiftly benched for Erica Wheeler, which improved the starting lineup but weakened the bench even further. They were successful defensively but could sometimes be feast-or-famine due to their aggressive approach, and a general lack of outside shooting often cramped the offense. The emergence of teenage rookie Dominique Malonga as the season went along added some excitement, and the front office finally showed a willingness to spend an asset to get help with the deal for Sykes, but it didn\u2019t seem to change the general direction of the team. They backed into the playoffs with help from elsewhere after a late-season swoon threatened their postseason participation, and then couldn\u2019t quite squeak past the Aces. All year they felt talented enough to beat anyone on a given day, but shaky enough that they could never be relied upon to produce that performance. Not good enough from a franchise that would\u2019ve been hoping for more.<\/p>\n

Offseason finances<\/a>: The Storm have four players under contract for next year (because Horston and M\u00fchl\u2019s deals are still in place after being suspended for 2025), then lots of free agents just like everyone else. Assuming rules remain the same, Diggins and Ogwumike can\u2019t be cored again because they\u2019ve played the maximum number of seasons under a core contract, but Seattle could still use their spot on Williams, Sykes, or even Magbegor. That would take up a meaningful chunk of cap space, but there would still be plenty left to restock the roster, whether with re-signed players or new ones.<\/p>\n

Offseason priorities: The first decision was already made when the Storm announced that Noelle Quinn\u2019s contract as head coach would not be renewed<\/a>. Honestly, as someone who openly wondered if she\u2019d be replaced many times during her tenure, my surprise was that she lasted this long rather than that they finally decided to move on. Storm squads under Quinn rarely seemed to perform as greater than the sum of their parts and there was so much turmoil in recent years, highlighted by Loyd\u2019s allegations before demanding a trade<\/a>, that it was somewhat shocking that she survived it all. It\u2019s probably a good idea for everyone involved to get a fresh start.<\/p>\n

So they\u2019ll need to find a new head coach, and then decide on a direction for the roster. Malonga already looks like a future star, and they\u2019ll have another lottery pick to add in as well, so the question is whether they want to try to lean younger and build, rather than constantly adding veterans and trying to win now. Ogwumike and Diggins are both still very good but have turned 35 (and both will likely listen to offers from elsewhere, so the decision won\u2019t be entirely in Seattle\u2019s own hands). I would expect the Storm to at least talk to them (and Williams, Sykes, Magbegor and Wheeler) about returning, hoping continuity, a new coach and improved depth can push the group to a new level. But if the veterans decide to leave for pastures new, it could actually be interesting to see what a squad built around Malonga, Horston, their 2026 lottery pick, and younger free agents could manage to achieve.<\/p>\n

Future assets: As mentioned above, Horston and M\u00fchl are still part of the picture for Seattle along with the roster that ended the 2025 season. The Storm still have their own 2027 first-round draft pick but gave up their second-rounder to LA in the Lexie Brown trade. They do however have an extra 2027 third-round pick from Dallas from the Li Yueru trade (which also carries swap rights with Indiana).<\/p>\n

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