Many were shocked when LSU national champion Flau’jae Johnson was traded to the Seattle Storm not long after the Golden State Valkyries selected her with the No. 8 pick at the 2026 WNBA draft on Monday night.
The Storm acquired the draft rights to Johnson from the Valkyries — and in exchange, Golden State acquired the draft rights to Marta Suárez and a 2028 second-round pick. Seattle initially selected Suárez with the first pick of the second round (No. 16).
“I’m going to take a beat to be able to eloquently give a response. I don’t have a lot of details to share,” Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said in her post-draft news conference. “One, because I’m exhausted. Two, because I want to be very thoughtful when I’m talking about other humans and their basketball abilities and how they would or would not show up for our squad.”
Nyanin added that she did not want to answer questions about salary cap implications being a factor in the trade.
“I don’t talk or comment about [the] salary cap, so I wouldn’t be able to answer the question in a way.”
Nynanin also said that the Valkyries had been focused on Suárez for some time.
“Marta is fierce. She’s fearless,” Nyanin said in her news conference. “We have looked at her for a really long time. … She has a very high basketball IQ. Her high character is off the charts. … We felt like she would be a great fit.”
Nyanin later explained to ESPN that the teams agreed to the draft-night trade before submitting their picks — and that the deal “had nothing to do with” Johnson.
Fans were clearly surprised, with many letting out audible gasps, when WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the draft-night trade just ahead of the No. 17 pick at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York.
Storm general manager Talisa Rhea said the team had been looking for an opportunity to move up in the draft and acquire another impact player.
“We didn’t think that [Johnson] would be available at that point,” Rhea said in a post-draft news conference. “We had been in conversations, and so, as we got closer to that pick, once it became a reality, just really excited.”
Rhea added that Johnson is a key piece for Seattle’s future.
“We’re really excited how [Johnson] aligns and helps us this year, but also is going to be a really important piece for us as we’re building for the future,” Rhea said.
Johnson’s family, sitting in the audience, quickly swapped their draft-night hats from the Valkyries’ lilac purple to bright yellow Storm caps.
Johnson averaged 14.2 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals during her senior season at LSU, which ended on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer in a Sweet 16 upset by Duke in the NCAA women’s tournament.
The rapper helped LSU win its first-ever national championship in 2023, defeating Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, 102-85.
