Seattle Storm Roster Competition Heats Up as Team Waives 2 Rookies
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Former Seattle Storm guard/forward Jordan Hobbs (10) was one of two rookie third-round picks waived by the team on Tuesday. Credit: John McClellan [/caption]
Rosters change fast during WNBA training camp. When training camp began just over a week ago, the Seattle Storm were going to need to trim a 16-player roster to what most likely needed to be an 11-player final roster.
Two players have already been removed from that race, bringing the current list to 14. Another will be kept on the roster, but won’t be available.
Following veteran forward Katie Lou Samuelson’s ACL tear on Thursday — now the third Storm player sidelined for the season with a knee injury — Seattle waived third-round picks Madison Conner and Jordan Hobbs on Tuesday, the team announced.
Both moves are unsurprising, as neither was given much chance to impact the Storm’s preseason victory over the Connecticut Sun on Sunday. Conner, the No. 29 overall pick in the third round out of TCU, played just eight minutes and logged three rebounds and a turnover. She missed her only shot attempt. Hobbs (No. 34 overall pick) was a Michigan standout who could potentially fill bench depth on the wing, but she logged just five minutes and three rebounds in the win.
Unsurprising doesn’t mean it was the right move. The Storm could’ve benefited from Conner’s 3-point shooting after posting a league-low rate in 2024 of 28.3 percent. Hobbs would’ve been a defensive specialist on the wing.
Former Kansas State point guard Serena Sundell, who Seattle selected with the first pick of the third round, earned 20 minutes on the court but played poorly, posting one point, two rebounds, one assist, one steal and four turnovers.
Still, Sundell is being given more time to develop. Unlike with Jordan Horston and Nika Muhl, Seattle remains on the hook for Samuelson’s $90,000 salary, so her injury doesn’t free up space to potentially help the Storm keep another player on the roster. It also means they will likely have to keep just 10 active players until they can make room for an 11th.
"The great thing about what we did in the offseason was find versatile players," Quinn said, per ESPN. "We can slide AC [Alysha Clark] from 3 to 4 and plug some holes that I think Lou was going to fill as well. Obviously can't replace her, but utilizing the rest of our roster to figure out some lineups."
The team essentially has eight roster locks with the intel we gathered from the preseason: Gabby Williams, Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor, Alysha Clark, Dominique Malonga, Lexie Brown and Li Yueru.
It’s unclear how head coach Noelle Quinn and her staff view Brown, whom they acquired via trade this offseason. Brown went 0-for-4 shooting in the game but also had five assists. She was added as shooting depth, especially with the team’s limited guard selection. However, her $96,408 salary is protected, which means she isn’t going anywhere.
Regardless, it seems the competition for the final two roster spots comes down to guard Erica Wheeler, forward Mackenzie Holmes, guard Zia Cooke, forward Brianna Fraser and Sundell. Seattle needs more guards, but Holmes was stellar in 21 minutes of play (nine points, eight rebounds and three blocks) on Sunday. Unless Quinn and the front office can maneuver their existing cap space, Wheeler and Holmes may have already locked up the spots.
The Storm arguably should opt for a younger, developmental approach by keeping Sundell or Cooke over Wheeler, who just turned 34. Wheeler has more experience, of course, but the franchise has to begin developing the future of its backcourt at some point.
Cooke was the 10th overall pick in 2023 by the Los Angeles Sparks and is still just 24 years old. She played 26 minutes in the win over the Sun, totaling eight points and one rebound. Cooke did convert an impressive and-one circus shot but made 3 of 9 total attempts (0 for 4 on 3-point attempts).
Sundell has a high ceiling as the NCAA’s top passer in 2024 and has a unique build (6-foot-1) as a WNBA point guard. There’s a lot of potential there. Seattle knows what it has in Wheeler and what her ceiling is. Take the chance on Sundell or Cooke, allowing them to come off the bench to contribute.
This franchise has to begin planning beyond 2025, even if it thinks it can compete for a WNBA championship this season. Only four players are under contract in 2026, including Sundell and Holmes. If one or both of them are waived, the Storm have very few personnel guarantees beyond this season.
Plenty more tough decisions are coming down the pipeline before the Storm begin their regular season on the road at the Phoenix Mercury. That game is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. Seattle plays its home opener also against the Mercury on Friday, May 23.
