Nika Muhl's Storm Tenure Ends in Expansion Draft After Second ACL Injury
The Seattle Storm's injury nightmare with guard Nika Muhl has finally come to an end. The Portland Fire selected Muhl in the second round of the WNBA expansion draft, closing the book on a brutal stint in green and gold. After undergoing surgery Tuesday following a right knee ACL injury suffered on March 11, Muhl will miss the upcoming season and leaves Seattle having played just 16 games since being drafted 14th overall in 2024.
From Draft Pick to Hard-Luck Story
When the Storm selected Muhl, the former Connecticut Huskies standout, they were betting on a talented guard to help the roster. Instead, her Seattle tenure became defined by injuries. In her rookie season, she appeared in 16 games and scored just two points, tallying her only basket in the regular-season finale. Then came October 3, 2024, when disaster struck: Muhl tore her left ACL and meniscus while playing overseas for Turkish club Besiktas in the FIBA SuperCup. She missed the entire 2025 WNBA season rehabbing that injury.
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👉 Claim Your Free $10 at KalshiJust when it seemed Muhl might finally return, lightning struck again. While playing for her native Croatian national team in the FIBA Women's EuroBasket Qualifiers, she suffered an ACL injury in her right knee. Now, after Tuesday's surgery, she'll miss another season. It's the kind of bad luck that defines a player's trajectory, and Muhl's time in Seattle is done.
Storm Facing Major Roster Overhaul
With Muhl's departure, general manager Talisa Rhea and first-year coach Sonia Raman are facing a massive roster rebuild. The Storm currently have just three players on the roster: Dominique Malonga, Jordan Horston, and Lexie Brown. The expansion draft ends Friday, kicking off what's expected to be a frenzied free agency period starting next week with more than 100 players hitting the market. Several Storm unrestricted free agents are headed that direction, and the team has roughly 7 million in salary cap space to work with.
Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the Storm must carry at least 12 players and can add two developmental players. With three roster spots filled, there's a lot of work ahead. Friday's expansion draft marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of a critical offseason for Seattle.
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