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# What’s Next For Storm After Turbulent Week?
- URL: https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/whats-next-for-storm-after-turbulent-week/
- Published: 2025-06-08T23:53:02.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-08T06:20:03.000Z
- Author: Connor Benintendi
- Tags: Storm, Noelle Quinn, Li Yueru, Dominique Malonga, Gabby Williams, Skylar Diggins

\[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="2047"\]

![  The Seattle Storm concluded a strange week that included a trade request, a complaint against an assistant coach and a pair of victories that got them back on track. Credit: John Mac  ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/1d/f2/1df2f77b-83dd-4bc0-a6d2-6d1bb5df89a3/content/images/2026/10/diggins-ogwu-format-original-4.jpg)

The Seattle Storm concluded a strange week that included a trade request, a complaint against an assistant coach and a pair of victories that got them back on track. Credit: John Mac \[/caption\]

Following trade demands and an “investigation” into the team’s coaching staff that turned out not to be anything of the sort, the Seattle Storm [concluded a rollercoaster of a week](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/storm-li-yueru-trade-wnba-investigation) on Saturday, June 7, with [an 89-77 win over the Phoenix Mercury](https://www.emeraldcityspectrum.com/home/takeaways-storm-defeat-phoenix-mercury-star-power).

The week started on a high note as the Storm snapped a three-game losing streak with a six-point victory over the Dallas Wings. However, during their three-day break ahead of Saturday’s game, center Li Yueru requested a trade on Wednesday. 

Within a few hours of that news breaking, another report surfaced that the WNBA was launching an investigation into the franchise. An ESPN report a few hours later, however, explained the league was merely looking into a complaint against a Storm assistant coach who alleged they cursed at a Las Vegas Aces player following Seattle’s loss on June 1.

“We’re aware,” [Storm general manager Talisa Rhea told ESPN regarding the complaint](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/%5F/id/45452278/wnba-followed-cursing-allegation-storm?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com). “It’s an alleged comment, and the league is looking into it, and that’s really the extent of it. It’s not an investigation into our organization, and it’s with the league, so we’re just waiting. That’s all the information we have and can share at this time.”

It remains unclear what punishment, if any, will be assessed to the franchise by the league.

While it appears Yueru herself is unhappy with her playing time (8.7 minutes per game), she is also a large part of the Chinese national team. According to an ESPN source, the [Chinese federation prefers Yueru to “get more playing time if she is to remain in the WNBA.”](https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/%5F/id/45461024/storm-li-yueru-says-trade-request-more-playing?ref=emeraldcityspectrum.com)

Yueru, who spoke to the media on Thursday, provided mixed messaging. While Yueru wants to remain in Seattle, she is also unhappy with her current role.

“I just want to play,” Li said, per ESPN. “I came to America only for one reason — just that I want to play basketball … I’d love to stay here because I feel so happy every day, whenever I come to practice or go to the gym.”

That didn’t seem to help Yueru’s case for more playing time. Yueru played just five minutes in Saturday’s win over Phoenix, the least of any healthy player on the Seattle roster. She logged two points and a rebound. Yueru has now played a combined 15 minutes over the Storm’s last three games after averaging more than 14 minutes per game last season with the Los Angeles Sparks.

“We have \[talked\] early on about her role,” head coach Noelle Quinn said Thursday, per ESPN. “She’s well aware of that. She’s expressed she enjoys it here, she loves this team — the best that she’s felt in a while. It's just getting her to understand the matchups that we've had and whether we're big or small, where she can find her spots to get on the floor. She's been pretty receptive to that."

Yueru played a combined 31 minutes in Seattle’s first two games of the season. Since then, rookie No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga has seen her role grow rapidly. Malonga has played at least 10 minutes in five of the Storm’s last six games and scored at least six points in four of them. She’s been more effective defensively and on the glass than Yueru, in addition to fitting more seamlessly into the offense.

At 6-foot-7, Quinn is using Yueru only in certain matchups to counter bigger, less-agile post players. The other members of the frontcourt are more versatile on both sides of the ball. Malonga, in particular, is also developing rapidly into a difference-maker.

The Storm shouldn't have a problem finding a post-needy team if they do grant Yueru’s request. However, if Yueru isn’t traded, it’s likely her role will continue to fluctuate game-to-game. Barring an injury, the Storm are simply getting more meaningful minutes from their other post players.

Even with the flurry of reports this week, the team appeared unfazed on Saturday. Their offense looked much more connected than it did during the losing skid. Malonga is continuing to emerge as a contributor at just 19 years old and Gabby Williams is bursting onto the scene as arguably one of the league’s best two-way players.

After posting a career-high 18 first-half points, Williams totaled 21 and drilled a career-high five triples. Guard Skylar Diggins also had a season-high 26 points (22 in the second half) to help push the Storm across the finish line. Williams’ emergence remains the biggest positive for the team, however, as she continues to build on the best start to her seven-year WNBA career.

“The confidence that she’s playing with, the trust that I have in her, and the trust that her teammates have in her, it’s really great to see Gabby displaying this level of play this early in the season in the \[WNBA\] because she hadn’t had an opportunity to do that,” Quinn said after Saturday’s win.

Veteran forward Nneka Ogwumike has cooled off a bit since her stretch of three-straight games with at least 20 points from May 19–25, but Seattle is getting enough scoring output from other places to hang with the league’s top teams. Guard Erica Wheeler has slid into the starting lineup over Alysha Clark as well, appearing to give the team a faster start against Phoenix.

When the Storm aren’t playing well, it’s typically self-inflicted wounds that have held them back. In theory, those mistakes will wane as the season progresses, and this remains a roster that could be dangerous in September.

Seattle (5-4) hosts the undefeated Minnesota Lynx (8-0) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11\. That will be another litmus for the team as it tries to break into the upper echelon of the league standings.