If you look closely at what the league said initially about that March 10th date it was basically "Our schedule requires that we have a signed CBA by April 1st, and we think we'll need a handshake agreement by March 10th to accomplish that." If they agree to terms early this coming week, I think they can still get the deal papered and ratified by April 1st. (But if they slip more than another day or two I do think the preseason games are in jeopardy.)
Every time I think about the draft my brain just goes "oh please oh please oh please someone take Fam or Betts 1st or 2nd." I think we'd be delighted with either Fudd or Miles, but I agree with you that if they go 1-2 our options become dramatically worse (just because we already have Dom, Nneka, and probably Ezi) so we should probably look to trade down with someone who can actually use Fam or Betts.
Signing Ezi should be priority number 1. Than Gabby and Nneka. Let Diggins go and draft a guard. If they lose Ezi, draft a center with the first pick and a guard with the 2nd.
Assuming the Core franchise tag is still around with a new CBA, the Storm should Core Ezi to try and get a deal done. And if they can't, then they could at least trade her for more assets instead of just allowing her to leave in Free Agency and get nothing in return.
Depending on how badly Nika hurt her knee last week, they could also expose Ezi in the expansion draft in order to hold on to both Nika and Mackenzie Holmes. (In my mind Gabby, Jordan, and Dom are locks and they will probably get to protect 5.) Then again, if we protect Ezi then someone is more likely to take Lexie Brown away from us, which I think we want after how badly last year ended.
There's no way we can afford to pay Ezi the supermax that comes with the core. Not unless we're parting ways with Nneka and Skylar anyway. I can see the logic of Coring Ezi and then trading her - that probably gets us more value than a fringe prospect on a very good contract (aka Nika or Mack) - but only probably and it's quite risky if we can't find a trade partner.
It's a fair debate to have. I wouldn't rule out paying Ezi the Supermax if it's just for one season. If Skylar and Nneka are both expecting to make the Supermax as well (and Gabby), obviously, it gets more complicated. But the Storm have to be smart with their money and the contracts they are handing out.
I would still highly recommend that the Storm Front Office consider placing the Core Tag on Ezi. Obviously, they have to have plans. But I would rather they either keep Magbegor or they tag her and trade her to get some value back, than just let her walk in Free Agency and get nothing in return.
I do think you can make an argument for that, but I'm not sure I believe that is the best way to view building a roster.
I guess it really depends on how you look at things. A good General Manager obviously has to be prepared for all scenarios. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel you're saying that you may not want to pair Dom with a long-term project because by the time they are both entering their primes, one or both could just leave in Free Agency. Somewhat similar to what happened with Breanna Stewart, in that she left the Storm in her prime to go join the New York Liberty and lead them to the WNBA Finals and a Championship.
And I do think that General Managers in today's WNBA have to be prepared for such things to happen. As the game continues to grow and the players feel more empowered, we are definitely going to see more movement. The era of players like Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tamika Catchings, all playing for just one franchise and leading those teams to Championships is coming to an end.
With that said, I don't think that type of franchise player is 100% gone. I would be SHOCKED if A'ja Wilson ever plays for another franchise besides the Las Vegas Aces. From some recent comments, Sabrina Ionescu has indicated that she will be a New York Liberty for life. Of course, those two could change, but for now, they look like lifers.
If we go back to building championship teams. The Storm did it right with LJ & Sue, Stewie & Jewell. Vegas did it right with A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young. As much as I hate to say anything nice about OKC. They built an excellent young championship core mostly through the draft, plus trading Paul George for SGA. I still believe this is the best path.
Obviously, with the new CBA and everyone being a Free Agent, the WNBA will see new powerhouses created. However, I still believe a team like the Indiana Fever are going to be a top contender after drafting Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, and building around those two. I think pairing Dom with Miles, Fudd, or even Flau'jae is probably the best way to go. But if Fam is available and they believe she has the highest upside, then I think they could still build a championship team around Malonga and Fam.
I think Stewie's departure is what has me feeling like we can't count on Dom staying here after her rookie contract. We just don't know. Anything can happen in the next 4 years- how the team does, her relationship with the new coaching staff and teammates, etc. The fact that she's European and African really doesn't help. Seattle is very far from home.
In my opinion, we shouldn't even look at a big with the third pick. We have 20 year old Dom, who has said she wants to spend her whole career in seattle, which has the center position locked up and we desperately need guard help. What i have seen from flaujae recently has been worrisome and while she may have more upside, I still think we should focus on miles and fudd
There is definitely a chance that Fudd and Miles go #1 and #2, and both players are off the board when the Storm pick. Then they would be in a position to either draft Flau'jae Johnson, Kiki Rice, Awa Fam, or Lauren Betts. Or they could consider trading the pick, but I would only do that if they weren't high enough on any of those 4 players. If Miles and Fudd were both off the board, I wouldn't be too upset if they traded their pick to swap with Washington (4th overall) or Chicago (5th overall), but they would have to pick up additional picks. Like either a future first-round pick or one of the Mystics' other first-round picks.
What Dallas does at #1 is the biggest question entering the WNBA Draft.
Thank you for the reply Jeff. I have seen some mock drafts projecting us to pick up cotie McMahon with the 14th pick. I remember you saying before the season that you weren't as high on her as you used to be. Has that changed after this season and do you think she would be a good pickup?
This is an excellent question, Cole! I saw Cotie McMahon play in person at the March Madness tournament in Seattle when she was a freshman in 2023, and I was blown away. She stood out as a WNBA body and athlete compared to almost all the other players on the court, and this was when she was 19. At the time, I thought for certain she would end up being either a lottery pick or at least Top 7 (and she still might). But her stock has seemed to drop as opposed to rise as she got older.
Don't take too much stock in this, but I believe I have read that there could have been some attitude issues with Cotie. I'm not sure if that's why she transferred from Ohio State or not. Kids transfer all the time these days. However, one issue for certain is that McMahon's efficiency and three-point shooting hasn't improved much in four years. In 3 of her 4 seasons, she has shot 28% of worse from beyond the arc.
Honestly, I really wanted to inclue Cotie in this article. I didn't for a few reasons. As you can see, the article had themes with the top guards, the UCLA players, the overseas players, etc. Cotie didn't really fit into any of those buckets. Also, if you notice in the article, I stopped including pictures of the players because Substack told me the article was too long for an email. That's what happens when I'm writing over 5,000 words.
To your point about mock drafts having the Storm taking Cotie McMahon at 14, I could absolutely see it if she's still on the board. If she falls further than that, then there must be some insider knowledge that only scouts or General Managers would be privy to.
The three main players I didn't include that will probably be drafted within the first 16 picks would be Cotie McMahon and South Carolina's Raven Johnson and Ta'Niya Latson. I listed 14 players in the article, so even if Madina Okot returns to college, the Storm will likely draft a couple of these players unless they go off the board.
If you look closely at what the league said initially about that March 10th date it was basically "Our schedule requires that we have a signed CBA by April 1st, and we think we'll need a handshake agreement by March 10th to accomplish that." If they agree to terms early this coming week, I think they can still get the deal papered and ratified by April 1st. (But if they slip more than another day or two I do think the preseason games are in jeopardy.)
Every time I think about the draft my brain just goes "oh please oh please oh please someone take Fam or Betts 1st or 2nd." I think we'd be delighted with either Fudd or Miles, but I agree with you that if they go 1-2 our options become dramatically worse (just because we already have Dom, Nneka, and probably Ezi) so we should probably look to trade down with someone who can actually use Fam or Betts.
Signing Ezi should be priority number 1. Than Gabby and Nneka. Let Diggins go and draft a guard. If they lose Ezi, draft a center with the first pick and a guard with the 2nd.
Ezi and Dom play the same position. Neither has looked particularly good at the 4.
Assuming the Core franchise tag is still around with a new CBA, the Storm should Core Ezi to try and get a deal done. And if they can't, then they could at least trade her for more assets instead of just allowing her to leave in Free Agency and get nothing in return.
Depending on how badly Nika hurt her knee last week, they could also expose Ezi in the expansion draft in order to hold on to both Nika and Mackenzie Holmes. (In my mind Gabby, Jordan, and Dom are locks and they will probably get to protect 5.) Then again, if we protect Ezi then someone is more likely to take Lexie Brown away from us, which I think we want after how badly last year ended.
Muhl and Holmes are fringe players. If the team wants Ezi and she wants to be here, she's definitely a core player.
There's no way we can afford to pay Ezi the supermax that comes with the core. Not unless we're parting ways with Nneka and Skylar anyway. I can see the logic of Coring Ezi and then trading her - that probably gets us more value than a fringe prospect on a very good contract (aka Nika or Mack) - but only probably and it's quite risky if we can't find a trade partner.
It's a fair debate to have. I wouldn't rule out paying Ezi the Supermax if it's just for one season. If Skylar and Nneka are both expecting to make the Supermax as well (and Gabby), obviously, it gets more complicated. But the Storm have to be smart with their money and the contracts they are handing out.
I would still highly recommend that the Storm Front Office consider placing the Core Tag on Ezi. Obviously, they have to have plans. But I would rather they either keep Magbegor or they tag her and trade her to get some value back, than just let her walk in Free Agency and get nothing in return.
3 Supermaxes would be 4.2 million, leaving 2.8 million for the other 9 players.
I wouldn't draft another long-term project thinking they're going to partner with Dom. She's only under club control for 3 more years.
I do think you can make an argument for that, but I'm not sure I believe that is the best way to view building a roster.
I guess it really depends on how you look at things. A good General Manager obviously has to be prepared for all scenarios. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel you're saying that you may not want to pair Dom with a long-term project because by the time they are both entering their primes, one or both could just leave in Free Agency. Somewhat similar to what happened with Breanna Stewart, in that she left the Storm in her prime to go join the New York Liberty and lead them to the WNBA Finals and a Championship.
And I do think that General Managers in today's WNBA have to be prepared for such things to happen. As the game continues to grow and the players feel more empowered, we are definitely going to see more movement. The era of players like Lauren Jackson, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tamika Catchings, all playing for just one franchise and leading those teams to Championships is coming to an end.
With that said, I don't think that type of franchise player is 100% gone. I would be SHOCKED if A'ja Wilson ever plays for another franchise besides the Las Vegas Aces. From some recent comments, Sabrina Ionescu has indicated that she will be a New York Liberty for life. Of course, those two could change, but for now, they look like lifers.
If we go back to building championship teams. The Storm did it right with LJ & Sue, Stewie & Jewell. Vegas did it right with A'ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young. As much as I hate to say anything nice about OKC. They built an excellent young championship core mostly through the draft, plus trading Paul George for SGA. I still believe this is the best path.
Obviously, with the new CBA and everyone being a Free Agent, the WNBA will see new powerhouses created. However, I still believe a team like the Indiana Fever are going to be a top contender after drafting Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark, and building around those two. I think pairing Dom with Miles, Fudd, or even Flau'jae is probably the best way to go. But if Fam is available and they believe she has the highest upside, then I think they could still build a championship team around Malonga and Fam.
I think Stewie's departure is what has me feeling like we can't count on Dom staying here after her rookie contract. We just don't know. Anything can happen in the next 4 years- how the team does, her relationship with the new coaching staff and teammates, etc. The fact that she's European and African really doesn't help. Seattle is very far from home.
In my opinion, we shouldn't even look at a big with the third pick. We have 20 year old Dom, who has said she wants to spend her whole career in seattle, which has the center position locked up and we desperately need guard help. What i have seen from flaujae recently has been worrisome and while she may have more upside, I still think we should focus on miles and fudd
There is definitely a chance that Fudd and Miles go #1 and #2, and both players are off the board when the Storm pick. Then they would be in a position to either draft Flau'jae Johnson, Kiki Rice, Awa Fam, or Lauren Betts. Or they could consider trading the pick, but I would only do that if they weren't high enough on any of those 4 players. If Miles and Fudd were both off the board, I wouldn't be too upset if they traded their pick to swap with Washington (4th overall) or Chicago (5th overall), but they would have to pick up additional picks. Like either a future first-round pick or one of the Mystics' other first-round picks.
What Dallas does at #1 is the biggest question entering the WNBA Draft.
Thank you for the reply Jeff. I have seen some mock drafts projecting us to pick up cotie McMahon with the 14th pick. I remember you saying before the season that you weren't as high on her as you used to be. Has that changed after this season and do you think she would be a good pickup?
This is an excellent question, Cole! I saw Cotie McMahon play in person at the March Madness tournament in Seattle when she was a freshman in 2023, and I was blown away. She stood out as a WNBA body and athlete compared to almost all the other players on the court, and this was when she was 19. At the time, I thought for certain she would end up being either a lottery pick or at least Top 7 (and she still might). But her stock has seemed to drop as opposed to rise as she got older.
Don't take too much stock in this, but I believe I have read that there could have been some attitude issues with Cotie. I'm not sure if that's why she transferred from Ohio State or not. Kids transfer all the time these days. However, one issue for certain is that McMahon's efficiency and three-point shooting hasn't improved much in four years. In 3 of her 4 seasons, she has shot 28% of worse from beyond the arc.
Honestly, I really wanted to inclue Cotie in this article. I didn't for a few reasons. As you can see, the article had themes with the top guards, the UCLA players, the overseas players, etc. Cotie didn't really fit into any of those buckets. Also, if you notice in the article, I stopped including pictures of the players because Substack told me the article was too long for an email. That's what happens when I'm writing over 5,000 words.
To your point about mock drafts having the Storm taking Cotie McMahon at 14, I could absolutely see it if she's still on the board. If she falls further than that, then there must be some insider knowledge that only scouts or General Managers would be privy to.
The three main players I didn't include that will probably be drafted within the first 16 picks would be Cotie McMahon and South Carolina's Raven Johnson and Ta'Niya Latson. I listed 14 players in the article, so even if Madina Okot returns to college, the Storm will likely draft a couple of these players unless they go off the board.