Seattle Storm 2025 Training Camp is Underway
Seattle Storm point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith advances the ball during a game against the Minnesota Lynx on May 17, 2024. Credit: John McClellan
It’s report day for the Seattle Storm as the franchise begins training camp. The team will have a week of preparation before a preseason game against the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, May 4, at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
Then, before their season opener against the Phoenix Mercury on Saturday, May 17, the Storm will have to cut their current 16-player roster down to at least 12 to meet the WNBA limit. More likely, however, Seattle will carry just 11 players due to salary cap restraints. That will create some tough decisions over the next three weeks.
Here’s the Storm’s current roster entering training camp:
* denotes rookie status
F Gabby Williams
G Skylar Diggins-Smith
F Nneka Ogwumike
C Ezi Magbegor
G Lexie Brown
F Alysha Clark
F Katie Lou Samuelson
C Dominique Malonga*
G Erica Wheeler
G Zia Cooke
F Brianna Fraser
G Madison Conner*
F/G Jordan Hobbs*
G Serena Sundell*
C Li Yueru
F Mackenzie Holmes*
This will be the first time the Storm begin the season without Jewell Loyd since 2015. The franchise is entering an exciting new era headlined by No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga, who may immediately have a crucial role in the lineup.
Seattle’s four-player draft class includes two other guards and a wing — highlighted by former Kansas State point guard Serena Sundell, who may end up being a steal with the 26th overall pick in the draft earlier this month. How those rookies fit into the final roster will be one of the main storylines of this year’s training camp.
As for the veterans, this is set to be Williams’ first full training camp and regular season with the Storm since 2022 — her first campaign with the team. Williams has the weight of being Seattle’s highest-paid player this season ($225,000 protected) after initially being tabbed with a core player designation this offseason. She re-signed with the Storm in early February for less than the one-year maximum qualifying offer ($249,244) for 2025.
The team’s success will largely hinge on how much gas Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike have left in the tank, as both have now completed 10 or more seasons in the WNBA. The pair has a combined five All-WNBA First Team selections, eight All-WNBA Second Team selections and 15 All-Star nods. Both played at a high level in 2024 and during offseason competition, so there isn’t much concern that either can continue being quality starters. But it’s worth watching as the regular season nears and eventually begins.
While we should watch the roster bubble players closely, Malonga remains the most exciting prospect on the team. Her potential role will become clearer in the coming weeks as head coach Noelle Quinn evaluates the French phenom against other WNBA talent.
The Storm, with just four returners from the 2024 season (Ogwumike, Diggins-Smith, Magbegor and Williams) will try and improve on a 25-win season last year that ended in the first round of the playoffs. That success, or lack thereof, will also hinge on the team’s entirely new bench.
