A year ago, the future of the Seattle Storm looked..stormy.
After Sue Bird retired at the end of the 2022 season, Breanna Stewart exercised her unrestricted free agency, taking her talents to the New York Liberty. Jewell Loyd, the third member of the core that had led the Storm to WNBA titles in 2018 and 2020, remained in Seattle, albeit in the final year of her contract.
Yet, glimmers of light broke through expectedly gray skies during Seattle’s 2023 season. Ezi Magbegor emerged as an All-Star, while Loyd turned in the best season of her nine-year career, scoring the most points in a single season in WNBA history as she earned All-Star and All-WNBA honors. Loyd also signed a two-year max extension with the Storm in September. Even as Seattle missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015, it now seemed like the coming storm—a years-long rebuild without playoff appearances—would not come for the Storm.
Now, the sky is clear in Seattle. Six-time All-WNBA guard Skylar Diggins-Smith and 2016 MVP and eight-time All-WNBA forward Nneka Ogwumike, two of 2024’s most highly-coveted unrestricted free agents, have joined the Storm. Diggins-Smith signed a two-year deal worth $208,219 in 2024 and $214,466 in 2025; Ogwumike inked a one-year deal for $204,500.
Although…
