The Storm Have Two Days to Move Fast: Here's Everything Happening in WNBA Free Agency

The wait is finally over. After months of collective bargaining agreement negotiations dragged things out, the WNBA and its players union gave free agency the green light on Monday. And it hit the ground running immediately: the Chicago Sky flipped third-year star Angel Reese to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2028, plus second-round draft swap rights in 2028.

For the Seattle Storm, this compressed free agency window is make-or-break time. Let's break down what's actually happening and what it means for your Emerald City squad.

The Clock Is Ticking: Designations and Qualifying Offers

Teams had Monday and Tuesday to send qualifying offers to their restricted free agents. That's it. Two days. The Storm also had the option to slap a core designation on one unrestricted free agent, which is basically the WNBA's version of the NFL's franchise tag. It guarantees a one-year supermax deal and locks a player in, but they can only leave via sign-and-trade.

Here's the catch: players can only be cored four times in their career. Skylar Diggins has already hit that limit, so she's staying put. Everyone else? They're eligible.

The Storm's Zia Cooke and Mackenzie Holmes are reserved free agents. The team had to extend them qualifying offers to keep their exclusive negotiating rights, or they hit the open market.

Wednesday Chaos: When the Real Madness Begins

Starting Wednesday, teams can officially meet with free agents. Imagine speed dating times 15 teams and over 100 players all fighting for the richest deals in league history. It's going to be wild.

Here's the problem for Seattle: according to Her Hoops Stats, the Storm have only $5.9 million in cap space to work with. The new salary cap sits at $7 million. That's tight.

Right now, only three players are locked in: second-year center Dominique Malonga, third-year forward Jordan Horston, and veteran guard Lexie Brown. Everyone else is either a free agent or still up in the air. Nneka Ogwumike, Gabby Williams, Ezi Magbegor, Brittney Sykes, Erica Wheeler, Tiffany Mitchell, and Katie Lou Samuelson are all unrestricted free agents.

The Timeline: No Time to Waste

Saturday is when official signings can happen. That's two days before the WNBA draft on April 13. Training camp opens April 19. The preseason opener at Golden State is April 25, with the regular-season opener against Golden State coming May 8.

The Storm can't afford to sleep on this. Every day counts in what's expected to be the busiest free agency period in WNBA history.

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