The Seattle Storm unveiled a dramatically reshaped roster at their 2026 Media Day on Monday at the BECU Seattle Storm Center for Basketball Performance, offering the first public look at a team rebuilt from the ground up following one of the most significant offseasons in the franchise’s recent history.
The event came one week after the 2026 WNBA Draft, where Seattle made a series of moves that fundamentally altered the composition of the squad. The Storm lost their top five scorers from the 2025 season, Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, Erica Wheeler, and Brittney Sykes, in a mass departure that left the roster in need of an almost complete rebuild. In response, the team added four draft picks: Awa Fam, selected third overall; Flau’jae Johnson, acquired eighth overall via trade; Taina Mair at 14th; and Grace Vanslooten at 39th.
The scale of turnover in Seattle reflects a seismic shift happening across the entire league. Roughly 60% of WNBA players entered free agency this offseason following the ratification of a landmark new collective bargaining agreement. The WNBA Board of Governors unanimously ratified the seven-year CBA on 24 March, one day after players also voted unanimously to approve it. The agreement runs through 2032 and includes record salary increases, housing adjustments for players, 401k contributions, and financial provisions for former players, representing the most significant improvement in player compensation and benefits in the league’s history.
For the Storm, the question now is how quickly a roster built almost entirely on draft picks can find its footing in a league that has grown increasingly competitive. Monday’s media day offered the first glimpse of an answer.
