Storm Nearing Final Roster After Waiving 2 Players
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Former Seattle Storm guard Rennia Davis (0) shoots over Golden State Valkyries guard Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda during the Storm’s 78-76 loss on Saturday, April 25, at the Chase Center. Credit: Seattle Storm [/caption]
One day after re-signing rookie No. 14 overall pick Taina Mair to a developmental contract, the Seattle Storm waived guards Jaelyn Brown and Rennia Davis, the team announced. They are now one player away from finalizing their 12-player roster.
Davis and Brown were battling tough odds to try to make the Storm’s roster, but Davis looked like she might have a legitimate chance to be a surprise retention after a pair of strong preseason performances. Instead, it’s down to Mackenzie Holmes and rookie No. 39 pick Grace VanSlooten for the final spot.
Brown, a former 2020 undrafted free agent out of Cal, totaled 14 points (3-of-9 FG), two rebounds, one assist and a steal in 24 minutes between the Storm’s two preseason games. She played in 10 games with the Connecticut Sun in 2025, averaging 13.1 minutes per game.
Davis is a former No. 9 overall pick in 2021, and she finished with 13 points (6-of-8 FG), six rebounds and one assist in 17 minutes.
Her efficient play seemed like it may be enough to earn her a spot on the roster, but the Storm need frontcourt depth with Ezi Magbegor sidelined due to injury and Awa Fam Thiam still playing overseas.
That’s why VanSlooten or Holmes will likely get the final spot. Holmes had a superstar-like season in Australia during the offseason, while VanSlooten struggled during the preseason. Keeping Holmes and trying to stash VanSlooten in a developmental spot seems like the logical option.
Seattle has one more developmental spot after re-signing Mair. The risk is that the franchise must waive the player and hope they clear waivers before bringing them back. That shouldn’t be a huge issue with VanSlooten, however.
Current roster locks (11)
F/C Dominique Malonga
C Stefanie Dolson
C Ezi Magbegor
F/C Awa Fam Thiam
G/F Katie Lou Samuelson
G/F Jordan Horston
G Flau’jae Johnson
G Jade Melbourne
G Natisha Hiedeman
G Lexie Brown
G Zia Cooke
Roster bubble players
* denotes player eligible for developmental spot
F/C Mackenzie Holmes*
F Grace VanSlooten*
Developmental signings
G Taina Mair
The Storm are getting closer to their final roster to begin the 2026 season. Even though two of them won’t be ready for the season opener, the current group is looking much further ahead than expected by this point.
Expectations are higher than they were before the draft, even if there are a lot of inexperienced pieces who will be playing extensive minutes. It’ll be a building season for a fresh group, but that will be necessary if they are truly going to be the future of the franchise.
The fact that they were able to get Mair back is huge, as she showed a lot of upside in the preseason. There was a strong chance she could’ve been stolen off waivers after the Storm gambled letting her go early.
Seattle kicks off the regular season against the Golden State Valkyries at 7 p.m. PT on Friday, May 8, at Climate Pledge Arena.
