Two Storm Superstars Are Walking Out the Door, and Seattle Fans Should Be Worried
The Seattle Storm is about to lose two of its best players in free agency, and the timing couldn't be worse. According to WNBA reporter Roberta Rodrigues, Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike are "highly likely to depart" now that head coach Noelle Quinn is gone. Both stars signed with Seattle as free agents in 2024, and now they're heading for the exits before the 2026 season even tips off.
This is massive. These two carried the Storm last season when the team went 23-21 and lost in the first round of the playoffs for the second straight year. Losing them both would essentially blow up the roster that management has been trying to build.
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The common thread? Noelle Quinn. After four seasons as head coach, Quinn was out the door last September. The Storm brought in Sonia Raman, then an assistant with the New York Liberty, in October. Apparently, that coaching change was enough to send both of Seattle's biggest guns looking elsewhere.
Diggins, 35, has been electric in Seattle. Last season she averaged 15.5 points, six assists, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. Ogwumike, also 35, was the Storm's leading scorer at 18.3 points per game and led the team in rebounds with 7.0 per game. These aren't role players. These are all-stars at the peak of their influence.
The Damage
Ogwumike's resume speaks for itself: 10-time All-Star, eight-time All-WNBA selection, seven-time All-Defensive forward, and a former WNBA MVP. The Los Angeles Sparks drafted her first overall in 2012, and she won Rookie of the Year. She left LA for Seattle two years ago, and now she's leaving again.
Diggins, a seven-time All-Star and six-time All-WNBA guard, missed the entire 2023 season on maternity leave before joining the Storm in 2024. She's been one of the league's elite scorers and playmakers, and Rodrigues reports she's "highly likely" to land on an Eastern Conference team for the first time in her career.
The 2026 WNBA season tips off May 8 with the Storm hosting the Golden State Valkyries at home. It's hard to imagine that game feeling the same without these two running the show.
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