Seattle Storm Free Agency Wish List

Which players could be lured to Seattle?

I thought I would put together a Seattle Storm Free Agency Wish List of players the Storm could try to sign this offseason. This list will not include any of Seattle’s players from the 2025 season. For their in-house players, I believe Ezi Magbegor and Gabby Williams should be the priority. Players like Katie Lou Samuelson and Erica Wheeler could also be complementary pieces to bring back into the fold.

I’m not including any unrealistic or impossible names either. There will be no A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier, Sabrina Ionescu, and similar players in this list. If a player has been cored by their current team or has clearly indicated they’re returning, they won’t make this list.

Jackie Young

2025 WNBA Stats: 16.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.3 SPG

If the Seattle Storm want to speed up their rebuild, I don’t think there is a better player they could recruit than Jackie Young. Young had a slow start to her WNBA career, but has truly blossomed into one of the WNBA’s best players over the past few years. During that time, she’s been a critical piece of the Las Vegas Aces Championship Dynasty. She’s played a major role in helping the Aces eliminate the Storm in 3 out of the last four seasons. How does that saying go? If you can’t beat them, join them. Or in this case, if you can’t beat them, steal their players!

I’ll be honest, I was stunned that the Las Vegas Aces didn’t bother to place the Core franchise tag on Young. They must be extremely confident that she will re-sign with the Aces, because if she does leave in Free Agency, that will look like a horrible blunder by Las Vegas’s front office.

I’ve seen people already say, “Why would Jackie leave A’ja and the Aces instead of just sticking around and winning more championships?” It’s a reasonable question to ask. But I’ll just say this. Star players leave championship teams all the time in every sport. Sometimes it’s because they get more money elsewhere, sometimes it’s because they get a longer contract (e.g., 4 years instead of 2), it can be to move to a larger market, closer to home, or maybe the player wants to receive more recognition instead of just being a part of “A’ja Wilson and crew”.

If I recall correctly, ESPN or another big media outlet put out a graphic that said “Who’s stopping this Big 3 in Vegas?” and I believe it showed A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, and Jewell Loyd, completely leaving Jackie Young off the graphic entirely when Jackie is the Aces second-best player. If I were the Storm’s front office, I would be aggressively pursuing Young with money, multiple years, and the chance to take on a larger role if she wants it. While I think Dominique Malonga has MVP-potential down the road, I’m not positive that she is ready to be the Storm’s #1 option in 2026. Young could certainly take that on if she’s ready.

Veronica Burton

2025 WNBA Stats: 11.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 6.0 APG, 1.1 SPG

If the Seattle Storm are moving on from Skylar Diggins, then they’re going to need a new starting point guard on the roster. I’m sure many of us believe that could be Olivia Miles with the #3 overall draft pick. But what happens if Dallas or Minnesota drafts Miles first? The team could select UCLA Point Guard, Kiki Rice. A player I feel can be projected to be a lot like Burton. But for this argument, let’s say that Awa Fam goes #1 to Dallas and Olivia Miles goes #2 to the Lynx. The Storm may be tempted to draft Azzi Fudd in that situation, filling another major hole on the team (three-point shooting), but then they’d still need a lead ball handler.

Similar to Jackie Young, I was a little surprised that the Valkyries didn’t place the Core tag on Burton. However, unlike Young, Burton is a restricted free agent and Golden State will be able to match any offer she receives from other teams. That makes signing a deal with the Storm much more difficult, but this is a wish list after all.

Burton had by far her best season in the WNBA this past year. In fact, she won the Most Improved Player Award. She nearly quadrupled her scoring average from the previous season. Veronica is an excellent two-way guard, earning All-Defensive 2nd Team honors. She also was 3rd in the WNBA in assists a 6.0 APG. Burton is only 25 years old and still has plenty of room to grow her game. I don’t believe that this past season with the Valkyries was a one-hit wonder.

Natasha Cloud

2025 WNBA Stats: 10.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 5.1 APG, 1.2 SPG

If Skylar Diggins isn’t coming back, the Storm aren’t able to draft Olivia Miles, and the Golden State Valkyries match the offer on Veronica Burton, then maybe Seattle turns to Natasha Cloud. The reports around New York seem to indicate that Cloud might not be back with the Liberty this season. New York also has to pay big money to Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and Jonquel Jones to keep their 2024 Championship Core together. Plus, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is returning from injury and they have to factor her back into the lineup.

Cloud is only one year younger than Diggins, and she isn’t as dynamic of a scorer as Skylar, but she’s still one of the better point guards in the league. She is a strong defender and a good leader. She helped lead the Washington Mystics to their 2019 championship. Cloud ranked in the Top 10 in assists at 5.1 APG.

I also recall there being interest in Cloud from the Storm’s front office before they signed Skylar Diggins. If Skylar doesn’t return, maybe they circle back with Natasha.

Jordin Canada

2025 WNBA Stats: 11.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.7 APG, 1.7 SPG

Another option at point guard would be the player I thought was going to be Sue Bird’s heir apparent. Jordin Canada did an admirable job running the show for Seattle as their backup PG during the Storm’s 2018 and 2020 Championship runs. She also took over as a starter in 2019, when Bird was out due to knee surgery.

Bird was around for five more seasons after Seattle selected Canada 5th overall in the 2018 WNBA Draft. Ultimately, Sue outlasted Jordin and her rookie contract and Canada went home to Los Angeles. Since then, Jordin has been the starting point guard with the LA Sparks and the Atlanta Dream over the past four seasons.

The Dream have to invest big money into Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray (who they cored). They also likely plan to re-sign Brionna Jones. Brittney Griner could also return. And Atlanta just traded for Angel Reese. Canada could be the odd woman out again this offseason. That could give Seattle an opportunity for a reunion.

Canada has always been an aggressive driver to the rim and a pesky defender. Her three-point shooting is likely why Seattle let her go after the 2021 season, but it has improved significantly. It’s still not anything to write home about, but over the past three seasons Jordin averaged between 28%-33% from beyond the arc. That’s compared to her rough sub-20% 3-PT shooting in three of her four seasons in Seattle.

Satou Sabally

2025 WNBA Stats: 16.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.3 SPG

Satou Sabally will likely be one of the bigger-named free agents that is expected to move this offseason. Whether it was a bad fit next to Alyssa Thomas, an issue with the coach, or the fact that the Mercury staff did not handle her major concussion in the playoffs properly, the word going around is that Sabally won’t be returning to Phoenix.

They call her the Unicorn because she has a very unique combination of skills, size, and speed that allows her to do several things on a basketball court and become a nightmare to defend against. Sabally is 6’4” with the strength to score in the paint, but has the speed to get past defenders off the dribble. She’s also a talented outside shooter. She shot 45% from beyond the arc on nearly six attempts per game in 2024. Throughout her career, she has knocked down 32% or better on her 3-PT shots in four of her six seasons.

The biggest concern with Sabally is that she’s likely going to command a max salary, and she has been plagued by injuries throughout her career. Satou has only played the majority of her games in two out of her six seasons in the league. She missed 15 games in 2021, 25 games in 2022, and 25 games in 2024. She also missed the entire 2026 Unrivaled season as she hasn’t been cleared to return to basketball after her serious concussion last year.

This signing only makes sense if the Storm are planning to trade Ezi Magbegor, unless Coach Sonia Raman thinks she could play Sabally, Magbegor, and Malonga all on the court together.

Alanna Smith

2025 WNBA Stats: 9.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.3 SPG

Alanna Smith has resurrected her WNBA career after it was a major disappointment during her first four years in the league. However, she has put together back-to-back-to-back strong seasons in Chicago and now Minnesota over the past three years. She won Co-Defensive Player of the Year with 4-time MVP A’ja Wilson in 2025. Smith has earned WNBA All-Defensive Team honors over the past two seasons.

Smith has been a natural fit next to Napheesa Collier with the Lynx, but she recently said in an interview that she loved her time in Minnesota but that she needed to explore her options. There are already reports that the New York Liberty are interested in her.

She may not be the biggest star, but she’s an important glue piece that helps a team win games in a variety of ways. Smith has had monster rebounding games against the Storm in the past. She ranked third in the WNBA with 1.9 blocks per game. Smith knocked down 40% of her three-pointers in 2024 and 33% in 2025. She would help stretch the floor for Dominique Malonga because defenses have to respect her three-point shooting.

Similar to Sabally, I feel this signing would only make sense if the Storm are trading Ezi away. Although if paired together, they would have natural chemistry as they both play for the Australian Opals.

Jewell Loyd

2025 WNBA Stats: 11.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 SPG

Oh, if only I could see the look on your faces. I honestly thought about making this one its own unique article, but I think this will be sufficient.

It’s no secret that Jewell Loyd did not leave the Seattle Storm organization on the best of terms. There was a lot of animosity toward Coach Quinn and her staff. And possibly some with Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike, as well. However, Coach Quinn has been replaced by Coach Raman. And in this scenario, Diggins and Ogwumike are signing elsewhere this offseason. Can we 100% rule out a Jewell Loyd return?

Jewell has familiarity playing alongside both Ezi Magbegor and Jordan Horston. Magbegor had the best year of her career when she was the primary post player next to Loyd.

It’s certainly possible she will just return to Las Vegas to try to win her 4th WNBA Championship, but there could be a scenario where the Aces are too invested in their other players, like A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray, and there is not enough left over for Loyd.

If the Storm draft Olivia Miles or Kiki Rice to play the point guard position, they could still be on the hunt for a starting shooting guard. They could play Jordan Horston in that spot, but she may also play the small forward if Gabby Williams doesn’t re-sign.

There are obviously multiple concerns. Did Loyd or people inside the Storm organization (that are still there) burn the bridge to the point of no return? Was Loyd’s overall disappointing season the new normal, or can she return to her former glory? Is her inefficient shooting too much of a problem, or can it be reined in like it was during the Storm’s championship seasons?

This is a fun one to discuss and comment below!

Update as of 04/11/26 10:00 PM

Jackie Young - signed a 1-year deal to return to the Las Vegas Aces
Veronica Burton - re-signed with the Valkyries on a 3-year deal
Natasha Cloud - unsigned
Jordin Canada - re-signed with the Atlanta Dream on a 2-year deal
Satou Sabally - signed a multi-year deal with the New York Liberty
Alanna Smith - signed a 3-year deal with the Dallas Wings
Jewell Loyd - signed a 3-year deal to return to the Las Vegas Aces

Storm-specific news:

In:
Natisha Hiedeman signed with Seattle on a two-year deal
Stefanie Dolson has reportedly signed a deal with Seattle

Out:
Nneka Ogwumike left Seattle and is re-signing with the LA Sparks
Brittney Sykes left Seattle and is signing a two-year deal with the Toronto Tempo
Skylar Diggins has signed a 2-year deal with the Chicago Sky
Erica Wheeler has signed a 2-year deal with the LA Sparks
Gabby Williams is leaving Seattle and will sign with Las Vegas, Minnesota, or Golden State

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