Key Questions Shaping Seattle Storm’s 2026 WNBA Season and Future

The Seattle franchise faces a pivotal offseason. Front-office moves will shape the 2026 WNBA season and the club’s long-term future.

Where the current core stands

Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins joined Seattle in the 2024 offseason. Both are former award winners and long-time stars.

They are 35 now and will be 36 by the end of the 2026 season. Management must weigh winning now against the need to retool or rebuild.

Dominique Malonga: the center of the plan

Dominique Malonga was the No. 2 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. She stands 6-foot-6, is athletic and can dunk.

Her rookie WNBA averages were 7.7 points and 4.6 rebounds. Early minutes were limited.

She produced five games of at least 15 points and seven rebounds, all in August. She also recorded double-doubles in two of three playoff games.

In the Unrivaled league, Malonga averaged 16.4 points (No. 16), 9.4 rebounds (No. 5), and 0.9 blocks (No. 11). She shot 55.1 percent from the field (No. 6).

Draft leverage: the No. 3 pick

Seattle holds the No. 3 selection in the 2026 WNBA Draft. That pick creates options to build around Malonga.

Olivia Miles is a top target if available. She has been praised as a generational passer. She also rebounded well and increased scoring as a college senior.

Azzi Fudd is another leading candidate. She shot 44.7 percent from three and made 117 threes in her final college season.

Mock drafts differ. ESPN’s Feb. 13 mock had Fudd at No. 1 and Miles at No. 3 to Seattle. Eric Nemchock’s mock considered Awa Fam at No. 1 and had Miles as a tempting No. 2 pick for Minnesota.

If Miles and Fudd are gone, other fits include UCLA’s Kiki Rice as a passer or LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson as a shooter. Awa Fam would pair as a do-it-all frontcourt player beside Malonga. Ezi Magbegor remains a core center on the roster.

Contract decisions and role players

Gabby Williams is 29 and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season. Her steals per game led the league at 2.3.

Williams showed streaky shooting. She began the season 22-for-45 (48.9 percent) from three, then closed with 28-for-119 (23.5 percent).

Brittney Sykes is 32. Her efficiency improved during the Unrivaled season. With Seattle, she shot 10-for-37 (27 percent) from three in 17 games, including the playoffs. At Unrivaled she was 30-for-75 (40 percent).

The front office must decide how much to invest in Williams and Sykes. Their age, upside and defensive impact matter for any plan centered on Malonga.

Context from recent seasons

After Breanna Stewart left and Sue Bird retired following 2022, the team struggled. In 2023, they went 11-29 with Jewell Loyd leading the roster.

The 2024 additions of Ogwumike and Diggins helped Seattle reach fifth place, but the team fell in the first round. In 2025, without Loyd but with four All-Stars, they finished seventh and won a game against the eventual champion Las Vegas Aces before another first-round exit.

What to watch next

Key questions shaping Seattle Storm’s 2026 WNBA season include roster construction, draft choices and allocation of salary to veterans.

Will the club trade veteran talent to accelerate a rebuild? Or will management keep the elder core to chase another playoff run under first-year head coach Sonia Raman?

Decisions on the No. 3 pick and free agents like Gabby Williams will signal the organization’s direction.

Fan engagement

Filmogaz.com invites fans to share their views. Tell us if you prefer competing now, or building long-term around Dominique Malonga.