Gabby Williams Left Seattle for Gold, and the Storm Are About to Feel That Sting

The Golden State Valkyries shocked the WNBA in year one. Finished above .500, made the playoffs as an expansion team, and nobody saw it coming. Now they're about to walk into Climate Pledge Arena on Friday night and remind Seattle exactly what they're missing.

That's because Gabby Williams, the All-Star forward who just posted career-highs across the board in Seattle, signed with Golden State in the offseason. We're talking 11.6 points, 4.2 assists, 2.3 steals, and 85.3 percent from the free-throw line. She finished third in the entire league's Defensive Player of the Year voting. The Valkyries didn't just add depth. They added a star who knows what winning looks like in this building.

Golden State Made One Head-Scratching Draft Move, But They're Banking on More

The Valkyries sent the No. 8 pick, LSU's Flau'jae Johnson, to Seattle in exchange for the No. 16 pick (TCU's Marta Suarez) and a 2028 second-rounder. That Johnson pick is shaping up as a cornerstone piece for the rebuilding Storm. Then Golden State waived Suarez last week.

Weird move? Sure. But Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin had a reason. "We thought we had the opportunity to potentially sign another athlete," Nyanin said at media day Tuesday. That gamble on cap flexibility paid off with Williams.

Seattle's Storm Is Basically Starting Over

The Storm lost five starters this offseason: Gabby Williams, Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Brittney Sykes, and Erica Wheeler. That's 67.5 points per game. That's 82 percent of their entire scoring.

First-year coach Sonia Raman is working with Johnson (No. 8 overall) and No. 3 overall pick Awa Fam, plus returnees Ezi Magbegor, Dominique Malonga, and Jordan Horston. Problem is, Magbegor is out the first month with a right foot injury from Australia, Fam is still finishing her season in Spain, and Horston is coming back from an ACL injury that cost her all of last season.

"It's next player up," Raman said. "That's always how it is."

Meanwhile, the Valkyries are hungry. Coach Natalie Nakase has a core group back that tasted the playoffs last year, plus Williams at All-Star level. "We're hungrier even more because we got a taste of the playoffs," Nakase said. "I want to win. I want to win at any cost."

Friday night tips off at T-Mobile Park territory with everything you need to know: a team going for back-to-back excellence facing a roster in transition. The Valkyries aren't trying to be nice about it.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.