By Charles Hamaker

Seattle, WA - Following yesterday’s press conference with Seattle Storm general manager Talisa Rhea and head coach Noelle Quinn to address the teams offseason moves (and unintentionally, the investigation that surrounded the team in late November and into December), it’s a good time to take a look at where the teams roster currently sits at this point of the offseason. While they will surely bring in some more players, at least on training camp deals, prior to the WNBA draft in April that will bring some other interesting names to the roster, the Storm do technically have an eleven-player roster on hand at this point if for some reason they decided to just stop acquiring players. Outside of the obvious things like bringing back Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams, a key priority for Seattle going into this offseason was to improve their bench play. Based off the numbers, the Storm haven’t quite done that at this point of the offseason and while there is time for them to keep adding, things don’t look great if you’re hoping for Seattle to end up with a net positive when the dust settles and we head into training camp in May. Here’s a look into the departures, arrivals, injuries, and current roster with our Seattle Storm as things sit here in late February following the latest news about the team bringing back forward Katie Lou Samuelson.

Former Seattle Storm guard and University of Washington alumni Sami Whitcomb during the teams home games against the Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream, and New York Liberty this past season (2024) at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo for Circling Seattle Sports)

Departures

The biggest news surrounding the Storm was the unceremonious departure of Jewell Loyd. Loyd, a 2-time WNBA Champion, WNBA rookie of the year, 2023 WNBA scoring leader, 6-time WNBA All-Star, 2023 WNBA All-Star game MVP, All-WNBA First team in 2021, 2-time All-WNBA second team, and 2021 Commissioner’s Cup Champion will forever have her name cemented as one of the franchise’s greats and surely has more to give in her career as she’s now with the Aces after requesting a trade out of Seattle. No matter how you feel about Loyd or Seattle after that investigation or subsequent trade request, as it seems to be quite the polarizing event for fans reacting online, it’s a big loss for the Storm. While the Seattle benched struggled in terms of production this past year, it still had some valuable veterans as part of that unit and retaining a one or two of them makes the Storm bench better than it is right now. In total, the Storm departures total up to 6.1 in total win shares (An estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player) and 4.9 in defensive win shares (An estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player due to defense).

Jewell Loyd: As previously mentioned, former franchise cornerstone Jewell Loyd requested a trade just hours after it became official that the independent investigation into the Storm for accusations of harassment and bullying found no wrong doing. Seattle, hampered by only having a few places that Loyd wanted to play, sent “The Gold Mamba” off to the Las Vegas Aces in a three-team trade that involved the Los Angeles Sparks. The Storm sent Loyd off, the Aces sent Kelsey Plum to the Sparks, and Los Angeles gave up the number two overall selection and center Li Yueru. As both Loyd and Seattle turn the page to new chapters, it will still be tough to lose Jewell for what she meant to the city and on the court for this team.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: 3.5 win shares and 1.9 defensive win shares
Sami Whitcomb: Whitcomb, the veteran Australian guard and University of Washington alum that was playing in a Storm uniform for the second stint of her career after originally leaving for the New York Liberty for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Coming off the second highest point average of her career during the 2023 season, Whitcomb’s usage obviously dropped with Skylar Diggins-Smith coming in and Jordan Horston continuing her growth as a player but Sami remained a valuable presence off the bench as someone who was always a threat from beyond the arc and could play valuable defense when needed. Whitcomb signed a one-year deal with the Phoenix Mercury two days after free agency officially started, and should be a valuable bench piece for a team that is going through a transition.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: 0.7 win shares and 1 defensive win share.
Joyner Holmes: Holmes, similar to Whitcomb, was in her second stint with the Storm but now departs Seattle. Technically Holmes was in her second stint, because before she joined the Storm on a contract during the 2023 season where she was waived three days prior by the Los Angeles Sparks, Holmes was originally drafted by Seattle in the second round of the 2020 draft. Joyner hasn’t been able to find a consistent home yet in the WNBA as she’s played for five teams since entering the league. Holmes’ versatility on the court, both as an offensive threat and defensively, could be a real asset if the right opportunity opened up and we saw a bit of that in 2023 when she had her best statistical (in terms of win shares, at least) season of her career. Joyner signed a training camp contract with the Wings on the second official day of free agency, so she won’t returning to Seattle at least for now and seems ready to help a Dallas team that will land Paige Bueckers in this years draft.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: 0.2 win shares and 0.4 defensive win shares.
Mercedes Russell: Russell, alongside Loyd, is the second of two players that played their entire career with the Storm and have now departed the franchise this offseason. Russell, like Holmes, is a technicality as she was drafted by the New York Liberty in the second round of the 2018 draft and played two games for them before being released in late May, shortly thereafter signing a contract with Seattle and sticking there until this free agency period. The 2019 and 2021 seasons showed what Russell could be for the Storm, a starter in the paint that could generate solid point and rebound totals but things took a turn in 2022 as she dealt with recurrent low-pressure headaches. Surgery to treat those recurring low-pressure headaches had her ready for the 2023 season, but Mercedes largely came off the bench and didn’t make too much of an impact. It was the same story in 2024, despite some flashes of strong play at times throughout the course of the season. Russell now departs looking for a clean slate, as she signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Sparks back on the 11th of the month.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: 1.4 win shares and 1 defensive win share.
Victoria Vivians: When she signed a training camp contract with the Storm prior to the 2024 season after spending the first five years of her career with the Indiana Fever, it didn’t seem as though Vivians was going to make much of an impact on the Seattle roster considering the focus was on the teams “Core Four” but Victoria quickly looked to make a name for herself. With Jordan Horston hampered early into the season due to an ankle injury suffered in training camp, Vivians was able to make an early impact for Seattle as she started 15 games in the first half of the season for the Storm. Victoria’s ability to shoot the three-ball, her stout defense, and knack of doing the little things right made her an early favorite for head coach Noelle Quinn. Vivians’ minutes started to take a dip when Horston became fully healthy and started to excel once again as she did in spurts during the 2023 season, and when Seattle signed Gabby Williams it forced Victoria into a full time bench role. Vivians remains unsigned at this point of free agency and doesn’t seem like a candidate for a return as she seemed to express frustration with how her role diminished when speaking to the local media at team exit interviews.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: 0.3 win shares and 0.6 defensive win share.
  - Total win shares lost this offseason: 8
  - Total offensive win shares lost this offseason: 2.4
  - Total defensive win shares lost this offseason: 5.6

Former Los Angeles Sparks center Li Yueru during the June 11th, 2024 game against the Seattle Storm at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo for Circling Seattle Sports)

Additions

The additions list isn’t necessarily as interesting as the departures list unfortunately, partially because we can’t quite factor in whatever player the Storm will add with the number two overall selection in the upcoming WNBA draft. Anytime you lose a franchise cornerstone, as Seattle did with Jewell Loyd, it’s going to be tough to replicate the value that player brings on and off the court. You could argue that whoever the Storm bring in with that top pick (Olivia Miles is the consensus there) could be a pillar for the future of your team, but that is not a definite and when you’re a team like Seattle with aging veterans you’re looking to compete right away. There are certainly some players that the Storm have brought in that are fun and should provide nice minutes for Seattle off the bench, but none of them individually make them a better team than they were last season. It’s hard to even argue that the Storm have replicated their bench value from last season, with the numbers in terms of win share saying otherwise and a clear lack of extensive experience from who Seattle brought in outside of Erica Wheeler and Alysha Clark. The Storm additions total just 1.8 win shares and 1.7 defensive win shares, paling in comparison to what Seattle lost.

Li Yueru: Acquired from the Sparks in the three-team trad that saw Jewell Loyd to Vegas, Kelsey Plum to Los Angeles, and the second overall pick to Seattle, third year (her third in the WNBA at least, playing with the Sky in 2022 and the Sparks in 2024) Chinese center Li Yueru has largely been overlooked by the national media when it comes to that big trade or the Storm roster. Li’s numbers aren’t particularly flashy, playing an average of 14 minutes a night and only starting two games for Los Angeles last year, but the 6’7” 25-year old has shown flashes of some really solid play. Yueru is clearly a big presence in the paint, not only with her height but a stocky build as well that won’t be pushed around inside, but she’s got a skillset that might sneak by many because of the fact that she comes off the bench or that she’s only played two seasons in the league so far. Yueru has displayed a nice collection of moves in the post to score the basketball, whether that’s using force or finesse. The shooting is there, while not prominent per se, from the mid range and the occasional three pointer. On top of that, Yueru’s playmaking ability makes her a problem as well as she’s shown the ability to find cutting teammates and distribute when forced to pick up her tribble. Putting things together consistently, and doing so in bench minutes, will be the challenge for Li this year but there is a lot to be excited about when looking at her tape from last season.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: 1.1 win shares and 0.2 defensive win shares.
Alysha Clark: A familiar face will be a welcome presence for the Storm this year, as “The Eraser” is back for her second stint with Seattle after spending a few years away with the Mystics and Aces. A crucial performer in the Aces 2023 title, Clark is a bit older now at 37-years old (Her birthday comes on July 8th) but has shown that she can still help her team space the floor and play quality defense. That defense will be valuable for a team that has lost Jordan Horston for the year due to injury, which we’ll talk about later, considering that Clark can guard multiple positions. She’s a 12-year veteran and three-time WNBA champion, so the Storm are getting yet another player that knows what it takes to win games and handle the grind of the season. It’ll be interesting to see what sort of role Clark is able to carve out for herself with Seattle, as her versatility is surely something that head coach Noelle Quinn will look to take advantage of throughout the course of the year. Whether it’s on the court this season with her play or mentoring some of the Storm’s younger players off it, Alysha Clark will certainly have a positive influence on the franchise once again.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: 1.8 win shares and 1.3 defensive win shares.
MacKenzie Holmes: The Storm’s third round draft pick last season, MacKenzie Holmes is a bit of a wild card going into the 2025 season. She didn’t play at all last season and joined her alma matter of Indiana as a graduate assistant as she recovered from left knee surgery in May, as it wasn’t made entirely what clear to the public what sort of knee injury it was but she was transparent with teams about it in the draft process. Per a report from the Portland Press Herald in an article about how she was honored by a minor league baseball team, the Portland Sea Dogs, with a commemorative bobblehead, Holmes detailed that she had been keeping in touch with the Storm since the surgery and was supposed to be cleared for activity back in January. It’s going to be interesting to see how she bounces back from what she called a “pretty unique surgery,” because her resume at Indiana was filled with accolades. A 6’3” forward that can score at every level, Holmes finished her career ranked first in four categories including the program’s all-time leading scorer (2,530), field goals made (1,043), field goal percentage (63.9) and wins (123) while becoming the program’s first First Team All-American by any organization (AP, USWBA, WBCA) and finished her career as an eight-time All-American. If MacKenzie can regain her form as a shooter at all, as she finished her time at Indiana as the schools (Yes, both men and women) all-time leading scorer, she could be a sneaky fun watch off the bench for Seattle this year. She’ll be someone to watch in training camp this year.
- No value or win shares to measure last season due to not playing in a WNBA game during 2024.
Zia Cooke: Zia Cooke is an interesting player in the regard that she can defend well, but her offensive game needs improvement. It’s another guard that will likely have a defensive impact for Seattle under head coach Noelle Quinn, whose teams typically pound the table about their defensive effort, but don’t look for Cooke to be someone that gives the Storm a boost in the scoring department. Zia was a fun prospect out of high school that drew the attention of celebrities with her ball handling and distribution abilities, and helped the University of South Carolina win a title back in 2022 but hasn’t seen much on the court success in the WNBA. While she’s still relatively young at 24-years old and has played limited minutes for the Sparks, who waived her after they acquired Plum in that aforementioned three-team deal. In the limited minutes she’s gotten in the league, Cooke has struggled with her shooting efficiency. I’m not quite ready to close the book yet on what Cooke can be as a player, and maybe that’s the optimist in me, but it’s gonna take a lot more from Zia than what she’s shown previously to make this roster as she’s only on a training camp deal.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: -0.8 win shares and 0 defensive win shares.
Brianna Fraser: You’re probably wondering who Brianna Fraser is, as she’s never played a WNBA game before and has only appeared in training camps with teams in this league (Connecticut in 2021, New York in 2024, and now Seattle), largely spending her professional basketball career overseas. A bench player that played solid minutes during her time as a Maryland Terrapin in college, Fraser has won championships in Lebanon, Romania and Poland since graduating. In 2024, Brianna debuted for the Azerbaijan national team and averaged 14 points and 4.5 rebounds in the two EuroBasket Women qualifiers. A 6’3” forward that lives within the three-point line, it’s going to be an uphill battle for the 27-year old Fraser to make the roster, but she’s no stranger to the grind.
- No value or win shares to measure last season due to not playing in a WNBA game during 2024.
Erica Wheeler: Wheeler, probably the most notable player that the Storm have added so far this offseason that isn’t including the players they’ve re-signed, is another person that brings a ton of WNBA experience to Seattle’s bench. Wheeler has largely spent her WNBA career playing for the Indiana Fever, the team she played for last and was noted as a key factor in helping guide Caitlin Clark during her historic rookie season, and her career really took off there as she couldn’t stick at her first two stops in the league with the Dream and Liberty. Erica actually was part of a deal including now teammate Li Yueru, as she returned to the Dream in 2022 as being shipped off by the Los Angeles Sparks with a 2022 2nd round pick (Naz Hillmon later selected) and a 2023 1st round pick (Stephanie Soares later selected) to the Atlanta Dream for Chennedy Carter and Li Yueru. Wheeler has largely been a starter during her career, but that changed last season as she came off the bench for the Fever with Clark stepping in to lead that franchise now, and she’ll see that same role for the Storm as she takes over the backup point guard role. Despite being on a training camp contract, expect for Erica to make the Seattle roster and provide great playmaking and veteran leadership to a team that has a solid amount of it.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: 0 win shares and 0 defensive win shares.
Lexie Brown: Lexie Brown’s acquisition came shortly after the news of the Storm signing Erica Wheeler to a training camp contract, filling up the lack of guards that the team had at that point in free agency. Brown, alongside the Sparks’ 2025 third round draft pick, was brought in from the Sparks in exchange for the Storm’s 2025 and 2027 second round picks. This isn’t a bad deal, but it is one with a few questions. Can Brown stay on the court, considering that it appears she’ll be Seattle’s starting shooting guard? Across her seven seasons so far in the WNBA, she’s only appeared in more than 20 games in just three seasons and only once over the last five years. Like any injury, it’s tough to be overly critical of a player missing games, and especially so considering that Brown’s Crohn’s disease diagnosis back in 2023 is the primary factor that she hasn’t been able to stick on the court more often the last few seasons. When Lexie is on the court, she’s a prolific shooter that will be increasingly valuable to the Storm because of the teams lack of shooting. Things have been getting better health wise for Brown since the diagnosis, knowing hot to handle the struggles of the disease with help from other athletes with similar ailments, and she’s back in Athletes Unlimited this offseason, a competition she says changed the trajectory of her career. Brown could help open things for the Storm offensively, but part of it relies on her ability to stay on the court.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: -0.3 win shares and 0.2 defensive win shares.
Katie Lou Samuelson: Signed the morning I was going to publish this piece, this is yet another reunion for the Storm with a veteran forward. Samuelson, similar to Wheeler but not quite, came off the bench last season for the Fever and Katie Lou did so in her first season since returning from maternity leave as she gave birth to her daughter Aliya. Samuelson, a 27-year old, 6’3” forward entering her fifth season in the WNBA, became available to sign after she and the Indiana Fever mutually parted ways earlier this month. Katie Lou’s basketball career has been an interesting one, first acquired by Seattle ahead of the 2021 season in a deal that saw her packaged with a 2022 2nd round pick (Lorela Cubaj later selected) by the Dallas Wings in exchange for the number one selection in the 2021 draft, as the Storm viewed the draft as a weak one (which it was). Katie Lou was selected to represent the United States when she was named to the 3x3 Olympic team for the Tokyo Games in 2021 but had to back out at the last minute after contracting COVID-19. Samuelson has been viewed as a “sharpshooter” on the wing, which is certainly why Seattle decided to bring her in as they try to round out their bench, but she’s been relatively unremarkable during her WNBA career so far and perhaps that’s emphasized when you find out she’s never played two seasons with one team yet, which will change when she steps on the court for the Storm this year.
- “Value,” as measured by Basketball reference last season: 0.7 win shares and -0.1 defensive win shares.
  - Total win shares added this offseason: 2.5
  - Total offensive win shares added this offseason: 0.9
  - Total defensive win shares added this offseason: 1.6

Projected starters and bench

It’s interesting to take a look at the projected starting five for head coach Noelle Quinn and the Storm, but the only real question mark for Seattle currently is the shooting guard position. Will Lexie Brown slot in there given her shooting ability, or will it be Erica Wheeler considering her play as a combo guard? Things were a bit more murky when the team had yet to bring back Ogwumike and Williams, at least officially, but with those two making their returns it leaves every spot filled outside of that second position in the backcourt. As previously mentioned, the bench was the real question mark heading into this offseason as it was an issue during the 2024 campaign and things appear to have gotten worse (numbers wise) over this free agency period. If you want to purely look at the total departures and arrivals for the Storm, Seattle is losing 8 worth of win shares (Per basketball reference) and 5.6 in defensive win shares with Loyd, Whitcomb, Holmes, Russell, and Vivians leaving plus Horston and Mühl out for the season due to injury. In total, the Storm are at a loss of 5.5 total win shares, 1.5 offensive win shares, and 4 win shares when you compare the total losses for the year and the total additions so far. There will obviously be players who can surprise in training camp to earn a better spot on that bench and that two guard spot is still one I am not entirely sure about, plus the addition of the Storm’s second overall draft pick this year and whatever the hell general manager Talisa Rhea is cooking up, but this is what it appears Seattle’s roster looks like this year.

Point guard: Skylar Diggins-Smith
Shooting guard: Lexie Brown*
Small forward: Gabby Williams
Power forward: Nneka Ogwumike
Center: Ezi Magbegor
Bench one: Erica Wheeler*
Bench two: Alysha Clark
Bench three: Li Yueru
Bench four: Katie Lou Samuelson
Bench five : Zia Cooke
Bench six: MacKenzie Holmes
Bench seven/cut: Brianna Fraser

Seattle Storm forward Jordan Horston and guard Nika Mühl seen during the teams June 11th, 2024 win over the Los Angeles Sparks at Climate Pledge Arena. (Photos by Rio Giancarlo for Circling Seattle Sports)

Players unavailable due to injury

It needs to be noted that the Storm will be without two significant names this 2025 campaign, as Nika Mühl and Jordan Horston both suffered knee injuries this offseason in differing competitions. Nika suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in her left knee during a game on October 3rd while playing for Turkish basketball club, Besiktas. Mühl underwent successful surgery on Friday, November 1st to repair the ligament and meniscus and is taking steps towards a healthy recovery, recently seen attending a game at her alma matter of UConn. Horston’s injury is more recent, as she suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her left knee during a game on February 7th while playing in the Athletes Unlimited league in Nashville, Tennessee. Jordan, like Nika, is expected to miss the 2025 WNBA season. Thankfully both Mühl and Horston will have each other to help with the recovery, as it’s been documented how lonely the process can be for bouncing back from an ACL injury. Looking at purely basketball, because we know how great their personalities are off the court, losing these two players in particular to injury is a big blow to the Storm in different ways. Mühl had the opportunity to get some real backup point guard minutes for Seattle after largely riding the tail end of the bench last season, while Horston has shown impressive growth over her two full years of WNBA play so far and was primed to take another leap this season. The point of this is all to say: Seattle really could’ve benefited from what Mühl and Horston were going to bring on the court this year, but unfortunately for everyone involved that won’t happen. Here’s to a very successful and speedy recovery journey for them both.

Assets left for the Storm

With now nine players officially under contract with the addition of Katie Lou Samuelson and the other five on training camp contracts (Wheeler, Fraser, Cooke, and Yueru) or in MacKenzie Holmes’ case a draft contract, the Storm have $260,001 in cap space to work with before the Samuelson deal but the numbers haven’t been updated yet per HerHoopStats. Thanks to HerHoopStats for that number, as they do a lot of great work with the WNBA and it’s salary cap, we know that Seattle currently is in decent position compared to the rest of the league as they’ve got the 8th most cap space left to play with prior to the Samuelson deal, so I can try to update this once her number gets reported. The rest of this section was written prior to the Katie Lou signing. In addition to that money to spend on a somewhat sparce list of free agents that could legitimately help the Storm off the bench this upcoming campaign, Seattle has four picks in each of the next two drafts that will be valuable in terms of building towards the future and or trading to acquire a proven veteran asset now. When asked about different things relating to the roster now and how it may look during the 2025 season, both head coach Noelle Quinn and general manager Talisa Rhea reminded the media in attendance of their press conference that free agency wasn’t done yet and Quinn even hinted that Rhea may have a trade in the works but wouldn’t say much besides that. All that to say, the Storm have the cap space to sign a veteran that could bring some impact off the bench (Some interesting names included Olivia Époupa, Isabelle Harrison, and Katie Lou Samuelson before the latter two signed since I started this piece so the options are pretty limited now) while having picks to move if an asset that they feel comfortable going after becomes available. We’ll see if Rhea really does have something cooking up as Quinn alluded to, and it’ll be something to see considering that there isn’t much available on the trade block outside of the fact that Marina Mabrey requested a trade out of Connecticut but the Sun have since denied the request. If the Storm decide to stand pat with their picks and use them, they’ve got the second overall selection to work with this year plus three first rounders next year as these next few classes are expected to be chock full of talent.

What’s next?

For the next month and a half, we’re really in plain old free agency mode for our Seattle Storm. The next real dates to look forward to in terms of actual league milestones would be April 14th when the draft takes place and the Storm will be looking to take a player that can help them this season and years into the future. As mentioned previously, Seattle has the resources at their disposal to add to their bench without doing anything crazy, and it seems as though it’s a questions of when rather than if. Talisa Rhea has been part of some pretty significant trades in recent WNBA history, so here’s to hoping that whatever she seems to be working on is a deal that adds a quality veteran forward (The Storm have enough guards, and if they draft Olivia Miles, they’d certainly have more than enough) to the roster without having to touch any of the players already here that will have to help Seattle take the next step in a new era without Jewell Loyd.

Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports BlueSky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social

〰️

Instagram: @CirclingSeattleSports Twitter: @CirclingSports Threads: @CirclingSeattleSports Tiktok: @CirclingSeattleSports Facebook: Circling Seattle Sports BlueSky: @circlingseasports.bsky.social 〰️

Check out our previous Seattle Storm articles here.
Check out our previous articles with writing by Charles Hamaker here.
Check out our previous articles with photos by Rio Giancarlo here, and his portfolio here.

Support the work of Circling Seattle Sports by checking out our merchandise!