Who Should the Storm Protect in the Expansion Draft?
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With the WNBA expansion draft on the horizon, the Seattle Storm will have to make some tough choices on which players to protect. However, some decisions will be much easier than others. Credit: John Mac [/caption]
The WNBA offseason is on pause until the new CBA is agreed on between the players and the league, but the upcoming expansion draft is the first major event over the next few months.
Two brand new franchises will participate in the draft, with the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo set to debut in the 2026 WNBA season. It’s an odd time for an expansion, particularly with the majority of the league being unrestricted free agents, but it will happen nonetheless.
Teams are “expected to be allowed to protect only five players” this time around, according to ESPN’s Kevin Pelton, instead of the allotted six from last year. The Tempo and Fire can select one unrestricted free agent each, with the potential to deploy a core designation on that player.
Both teams will also be able to pick among players whose rights are held even if they didn’t play in the WNBA last season, per Pelton. Unrestricted free agents who have played at least two seasons under core contracts are ineligible to be drafted in the expansion.
That makes both Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins ineligible to be drafted by either team. But it leaves the rest of the Storm players as free game unless they are protected.
Last year’s expansion draft was held in December, but the 2026 draft is likely going to be later, considering the league still has not released an official date.
Keep building for the future
With only five players likely to be protected, the Storm should reserve their young core. They may already have plans to move on from multiple of the team’s key veterans in 2025. If that’s the case, there’s no reason to protect them.
Projected protected players
- Dominique Malonga
- Lexie Brown
- Jordan Horston
- Gabby Williams
- Mackenzie Holmes
Malonga is an obvious choice, as she’s slated to be the future of the franchise. The 2025 No. 2 overall pick will likely be the center of all future plans as new head coach Sonia Raman and the front office try and build a younger roster that could begin gunning for championships annually.
Williams has been one of the only players around the team facility in the offseason, showing that she is still connected to the franchise. That suggests Williams expects to be with the team in 2026, and at 29 years old, she fits the roster timeline.
Brown has stated she’s already been in contact with Raman, and the Storm coach seems to have plans for the 31-year-old guard. That’s the only reason she’s on this list — it remains to be seen if Brown can return to her former productive self.
Horston, who is coming off a torn ACL and didn’t play last season, is a positionless player who offers a lot of versatility to the Seattle lineup. She and Gabby Williams are similar in that way, and both are great defenders. It’s hard to see the Storm not protecting Horston.
Holmes is the wild card. She’s dominating in Australia currently and looked good in the preseason last year. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Noelle Quinn was holding back Holmes’ development in 2025 when she could have made an impact. Holmes is a shifty post player who could be very productive if given the opportunity.
Unprotected
- Nika Mühl
- Zia Cooke
- Ezi Magbegor
- Tiffany Mitchell
- Katie Lou Samuelson
- Brittney Sykes
- Erica Wheeler
It wouldn’t be surprising if Wheeler, Sykes, Samuelson and Mitchell simply aren’t in the Storm’s plans moving forward. All but Samuelson are over the age of 30, and none are under contract for 2026. With the team’s draft capital and young players, they will likely find alternatives.
Mühl is an interesting case. She was a hyped rookie in 2024, but hasn’t been able to stay healthy enough to play an entire WNBA or overseas season. Mühl is under contract, but Seattle may feel it can leave her unprotected and not lose her to the draft. The ceiling of Holmes may be higher.
The Storm could fill Cooke’s role if needed, and she hasn’t shown to have a major strength in any one area of her game through three WNBA seasons. She’s a reserved free agent, so they will have an opportunity to re-sign her if she isn’t selected.
Magbegor is the longest tenured member of the Storm, but she regressed in 2025. Now that she’s a free agent, it might be time to move on and let Malonga take over the frontcourt.
This projection allows the Storm to protect any young players they are just beginning to develop, and leave it open for players who have already reached their ceilings.
That’s a win for Seattle, especially with their draft capital this season, which includes two first-round picks (one of which is No. 3 overall).
