Instant Takeaways: Storm Post Least Points Since 2022 in Crushing Loss to Wings
The Seattle Storm posted their second-worst offensive output since 2022 in a deflating 79-56 loss to the Dallas Wings in the first game of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup on Monday, June 1, at College Park Center.
Seattle (3-7) scored just 37 points in the first three quarters before making the defeat look a bit more respectable in garbage time. Dallas (6-3) pulled down 12 more offensive rebounds and took an astounding 20 more shots than the Storm.
If that wasn’t enough to doom the Storm, they lost the turnover battle 17-8. It felt like the rock bottom of the Storm’s now seven-game stretch without both Dominique Malonga (concussion) and Ezi Magbegor (foot).
Jordan Horston’s Resurgence Encouraging For Storm
Before the start of the 2026 season, Seattle Storm wing Jordan Horston hadn’t played basketball in 15 months. Horston tore her ACL while competing in Athletes Unlimited during the WNBA offseason and missed the entire 2025 season.
It’s been a slow ramp-up period for Horston so far this season, as she’s played in all nine games thus far while on a minutes restriction. She’s been steadily contributing on defense, but the offensive side has been a struggle for the former 2023 No. 9 overall pick.
In her first eight games, Horston averaged just 3.0 points (27.3% FG), 3.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.4 blocks per game in 17.5 minutes. She hadn’t been playing up to her starting role, and the Storm have been struggling overall.
Horston finally started to look like her old self in the Storm’s most recent game — a 93-72 loss to the Toronto Tempo. Even though it was a loss, Horston tied her season high of 22 minutes and finished with 15 points, four rebounds, one assist and four steals.
Instant Takeaways: Cooke, Johnson Fuel Storm to Decisive Win Over Sun
The Storm erased a sloppy first quarter and stonewalled the Sun the rest of the way in a 77-59 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Friday, May 22, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Zia Cooke (career-high 25 points) and Flau’jae Johnson (17) combined for 42 points in a landmark day for both players. The Storm shook off any memory of the home loss to the Sun on Wednesday, scoring consistently and thwarting any offense Connecticut tried to piece together.
The Sun shot just 37% from the field and rarely were uncontested after the opening period. Seattle rolled that defense into offense, which hasn’t been a consistent theme so far this season.
Even without Awa Fam, who was activated Friday, Ezi Magbegor and Dominique Malonga, the Storm got all the production it needed from other areas of the roster.
Instant Takeaways: No Malonga Spells Doom for Storm in Loss to Fever
Stumbling out of the gates with sloppy offense and minimal-resistance defense, the Seattle Storm fell to 1-3 on the season with an 89-78 loss to the Indiana Fever on Sunday, May 17, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
The Storm were without leading scorer Dominique Malonga, who suffered a concussion in Wednesday’s game against Toronto. Seattle’s remaining lineup, which was much smaller than normal, couldn’t minimize mistakes to keep up with a potent Fever attack.
Natisha Hiedeman had her best game as a member of the Storm, scoring a team-high 19 points while adding two rebounds, two assists one steal and one block. Flau’jae Johnson (14 points), Zia Cooke (13) and Jade Melbourne (12) also scored in double figures.
Indiana (2-2) was led by Caitlin Clark’s 21 points, seven rebounds and 10 assists. Kelsey Mitchell and Sophie Cunningham each added 17 points.
Storm Desperately Need Champion Awa Fam Ready to Roll
Awa Fam, the Seattle Storm’s No. 3 overall pick in this year’s WNBA Draft, will be joining her new team as a champion.
Fam and Valencia, the team she has played for in Spain since 2021, won the Liga Feminina Endesa Championship on Sunday, May 17, defeating Casademont Zaragoza 68-67 on a buzzer-beater layup.
It wasn’t her best game, but Fam totaled six points on two 3-pointers and added four rebounds, one assist and a steal.
Valencia’s season is what has been keeping Fam, 19, from joining the Storm, who are currently 1-2 ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Indiana Fever (1-2). Fam will still have to get to Seattle and potentially get a short rest before she can get on the court for the Storm this season.
Instant Takeaways: Mistake-Prone Storm Stumble Against Tempo
A healthy dose of turnovers doomed the Seattle Storm in an 86-73 loss to the Toronto Tempo on Wednesday, May 13, at Coca-Cola Coliseum.
Toronto earned its first win in franchise history after losing its opener, dropping the Storm to 1-2 overall. It was far from Seattle’s best performance, with a lack of contributions across the lineup, sloppy play on both ends of the court and simply a lack of resilience to battle back.
Storm head coach Sonia Raman, just a few days removed from her first win, was a victim of Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello’s first win with Toronto.
Instant Takeaways: Storm Outlast Sun, Raman Earns First Win as WNBA Head Coach
Lexie Brown and Jade Melbourne led an efficient, physical comeback in the second half, and the Seattle Storm got Sonia Raman her first win as a WNBA head coach in an 89-82 victory over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday, May 10, at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Brown rebounded from an abysmal season opener to sink five threes and lead the Storm with 17 points. Melbourne continued to be one of the fiestiest players on the court, totaling 15 points, six assists, one steal and one block. Rookie Flau’jae Johnson, though still inefficient, added 16 points, six rebounds, three steals and a block.
Connecticut was led by 17 points and 16 rebounds from Aneesah Morrow. Brittney Griner finished with 16 points, six rebounds and two steals.
The Storm battled foul trouble early, forcing Raman to dip even deeper into her bench. The balance across a 10-player lineup through two games has been incredibly unique.
Instant Takeaways: Inexperienced Storm Lose Early Mojo in Season-Opening Loss to Valkyries
A hot start for the new-look Seattle Storm and first-time head coach Sonia Raman rapidly fell back to Earth in a 91-80 loss against the Golden State Valkyries in the 2026 regular season opener on Friday, May 8, at Climate Pledge Arena.
Dominique Malonga unsurprisingly led the way for the Storm to begin her second season, totaling 21 points (8-of-15 FG), eight rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes. The Valkyries were led by an impressive 20 points from forward Janelle Salaun.
Seattle stormed out of the gates early with efficient shooting, but that quickly fell off, the turnovers piled up and its lead evaporated. The potential was apparent in the new lineup, which included six players who didn’t play for the team last season, but it also proved they have a long way to go.
Projecting Storm Final Roster After First Cuts
The Seattle Storm made their first round of roster cuts on Thursday, waiving forward Beatrice Mompremier and guards Jalyn Brown and Elle Ladine, the team announced.
Seattle’s cuts bring their current roster down to 16 players, meaning the team only has to let go of two other players before the regular season begins. Under the new CBA, teams are required to keep 12 players on their active roster and now have access to two developmental roster spots.
Storm’s Young Stars Shine in Decisive Preseason Victory vs. Fire
The Storm’s young guards led the charge in a 91-81 victory over the Portland Fire in the first matchup between the two franchises since 2002 on Wednesday, April 29, at Climate Pledge Arena.
For the new Portland franchise, the Storm had the privilege of hosting their first-ever game — even if it was just an exhibition matchup. And after taking one of their players (Nika Muhl) in the expansion draft, the Storm spoiled the Fire’s debut after April’s expansion draft, free agency and the rookie draft.
The preseason means next to nothing in terms of how successful the Storm will be. But the individual performances do tell us what could be on the horizon for some of the team’s young players, which is especially important this season.
What to Watch For in Storm’s Preseason Finale vs. Portland Fire
Almost nothing is the same about the Seattle Storm in 2026, and on Saturday, we saw for the first time how many of the new pieces fared against another WNBA team.
It was an especially young lineup for the Storm, with eight players 25 or younger playing big minutes in the team's 78-76 loss to the Golden State Valkyries to begin the preseason.
Even in a loss, there were many positives for the Storm’s new additions. Rookie No. 8 overall pick Flau’jae Johnson, No. 14 pick Taina Mair, and free-agent signings Jade Melbourne and Rennia Davis stood out.
New-Look Storm Fall Narrowly Short Against Valkyries in Preseason Opener
Despite holding an eight-point halftime lead, the Seattle Storm’s group of young, developing players narrowly fell to the Golden State Valkyries, 78-76, in the first 2026 preseason game on Saturday, April 25, at the Chase Center.
The Storm had 12 of their 19 players step onto the court in the game, getting a decent look at a mostly new group that has had just six days of practice together thus far.
Of that group who played, eight were not with the Storm in 2025 and four were rookies.
Even in a loss, there were plenty of bright spots for Seattle as we begin to see what the new-look Storm will look like. We won’t see the entire lineup until Ezi Magbegor is healthy and Awa Fam joins the team, but it was a glimpse at some of the exciting acquisitions.
Storm Rumble Into the Future with Bold 2026 WNBA Draft
The Seattle Storm have found a direction after a frenzied few days of free agency.
The four-time WNBA champions held the No. 3 overall pick after going 23-21 last season with stars Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins and Gabby Williams leading the way. All three players departed the Emerald City in the past few days, leaving 2026 No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga and recently re-signed All-Defensive center Ezi Magbegor to build around.
The Storm watched top guards like No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd and No. 2 pick Olivia Miles fly off the board before taking Spanish teen star Awa Fam, who many experts projected to go first, at No. 3. With the 14th pick, Seattle took Duke point guard Taina Mair before selecting TCU’s Marta Suárez at No. 16.
But moments later, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert shocked viewers by announcing that Seattle had traded Suárez and a 2028 second-rounder for the night’s No. 8 pick, LSU star Flau’jae Johnson.
Storm Free Agency Recap: Good, Bad and Ugly From Transformational Signing Period
It’s hard to say the dust has settled on an expectedly tumultuous free agency period for the Seattle Storm, especially with the team rolling straight into a four-pick menu in Monday’s WNBA Draft.
The Storm are going to look very different just one year after a disappointing 23-21 finish in 2025 that saw them eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Las Vegas Aces for the second straight season.
WNBA Draft Preview: Storm Head Into 2026 With Big Shoes to Fill, But Plenty of Flexibility
If you found yourself in the recesses of Climate Pledge Arena for some Seattle Storm basketball last summer, chances are you saw one of the following:
A passionate Skylar Diggins hyping up her bench after a 3-pointer or a timely assist.
WNBA president Nneka Ogwumike settling into the post to hit a turnaround jumper to get Seattle rolling.
First-time All-Star Gabby Williams notching one of her three steals per game to flip the momentum to the home team.
The chances of one of those three things happening were practically 100% every night.
Those odds stand at 0% after a wild start to free agency.
Nneka Ogwumike Leaving Storm, Skylar Diggins May Follow
Veteran forward and unrestricted free agent Nneka Ogwumike will not be returning to the Seattle Storm for the 2026 season and is receiving strong interest from the Los Angeles Sparks in free agency, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
Ogwumike confirmed her departure from the Storm with a farewell post to the franchise on social media. She has also met with the Minnesota Lynx, per Philippou.
The Storm may be losing multiple of their premier veterans, as point guard Skylar Diggins is also reportedly in talks with the Chicago Sky, per Beta Basket’s Roberta F. Rodrigues.
Storm Core Ezi Magbegor, Extend Reserved Qualifying Offers to 2 Others
The Seattle Storm made a trio of qualifying offers on Tuesday as they attempt to retain Ezi Magbegor, Mackenzie Holmes and Zia Cooke, per the WNBA’s transaction wire.
Seattle extended a core qualifying offer to Magbegor, which is a one-year, fully guaranteed deal valued at the new supermax figure of $1.4 million. It does not guarantee Magbegor will sign for that amount, but it does give Seattle exclusive negotiating rights.
Storm G Nika Mühl to Miss 2nd Straight WNBA Season With Torn ACL
Seattle Storm guard Nika Mühl underwent successful surgery on Tuesday, March 31, to repair a torn ACL she suffered while playing for Croatia — her home country — in the FIBA Women’s EuroBasket Qualifiers, the Storm announced on Wednesday.
It’s another massive blow to Mühl’s professional basketball career, as she will miss a second-straight WNBA season. Mühl missed the 2025 season also due to a torn ACL, which was also suffered while playing overseas.
By the end of the 2026 season, Mühl, a 2024 second-round pick in the WNBA Draft, will have appeared in just 16 games in three seasons since joining the Storm.
What to Know About Storm’s Newest Assistant Coaches
More than three months after being hired, Seattle Storm head coach Sonia Raman has assembled her coaching staff for the 2026 season.
The Storm announced that they hired Natalie Achonwa, Jarell Christian and Michael Joiner, completing what will be an entirely new staff under Raman after the franchise parted ways with former head coach Noelle Quinn.
In an offseason that still holds an incredible amount of uncertainty, the Storm nearly have all their ducks in a row before the WNBA Draft in April. Now, they just have to wait and see what happens with the CBA, the expansion drafts and free agency before finalizing a draft plan.
Here’s what you should know about all three of the Storm’s newest coaches.
What WNBA, WNBPA’s Moratorium on Business Means For Seattle Storm
The WNBA and WNBPA agreed to a moratorium on league business, ending the potential for any contracts to be negotiated under the expiring CBA. How does it impact the Seattle Storm now?
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