Seattle Storm gain No. 2 pick and Li Yueru, lose Jewell Loyd in three-team trade

The three-team trade was first mentioned as a possibility by Beta Basket’s Roberta Rodrigues on Thursday. Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun-Times reported the trade was likely coming but not finalized on Saturday, and ESPN’s Alexa Philippou reported more details of the deal on Sunday night. The deal will not be made official until Feb. 1, according to Philippou.

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Losing a fan favorite and longtime Storm player in Loyd is massive for Seattle. Loyd is a prolific scorer who became synonymous with the team that drafted her No. 1 overall in 2015. Together, they went on to win WNBA championships in 2018 and 2020. It is also a tough pill to swallow because Seattle’s former “Big Three” will have all left Seattle in the span of a couple years with Sue Bird retiring in 2022, Breanna Stewart leaving in free agency to start 2023 and now Loyd.

However, the 2024 season was a career low for Loyd despite the addition of All-WNBA talent alongside her. She shot 36.0% from the field and 27.4% from 3-point range, well below her career averages. And the Storm went 25-15 and were swept in the first round of the playoffs.

After those personal and team struggles, as well as an investigation into allegations of harassment and bullying against the Storm coaching staff, Loyd publicly requested a trade. Forcing a player who wants out to stay doesn’t benefit either party. Costabile reported that trade discussions with the team closest to Loyd’s home, the Chicago Sky, fell apart and Las Vegas was her preferred destination.

Sending Loyd to her preferred location hopefully helps the player and team part on good terms. It could also build goodwill with players who are considering signing with Seattle, letting them know that Seattle respects players’ wishes.

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This is about the best return the Storm could’ve gotten for a former No. 1 overall pick who, at 31, is entering the latter stages of her career and had said publicly that she wanted to be moved.

Possessing the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft opens up a world of possibilities for the Storm that could change the franchise for the better for years to come. Who, or what, Seattle can get with the No. 2 overall pick will determine how well it fares in this trade in the end.

One possibility is the Storm keeping the pick and drafting a potential generational talent. If the consensus No. 1 overall pick, UConn guard Paige Bueckers, declares for the draft, the question is who will be available next.

Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles has the option to return to Notre Dame or declare. If she does declare, it is a no-brainer to select her No. 2 overall.

Miles is a brilliant passer, a more than capable scorer and a strong rebounding guard. She has the potential to become Seattle’s franchise cornerstone. This season with the Fighting Irish, she is averaging 16.4 points, 6.9 assists, 6.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game with an effective field-goal percentage of 63.3% and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.79-to-1.

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The Storm could also use the No. 2 pick as an asset and try to make a deal with the Dallas Wings for the No. 1 overall pick. The Next’s Howard Megdal reported at The IX that many WNBA talent evaluators expect Bueckers to try to avoid going to Dallas.

As an incredibly well-known player, Bueckers has the kind of juice to force Dallas’ hand by declaring she won’t play for the franchise (a la quarterback Eli Manning in 2004). Still, for Dallas to part with the pick, the return will have to be substantial. The No. 2 pick could be a major bargaining piece for Seattle.

In Seattle, Bueckers could build on the tradition of UConn success and reunite with her college teammate and best friend Nika Mühl. Storm fans may forgive losing Loyd if they end up with a player of Bueckers’ or Miles’ caliber on a rookie-scale contract for several years.

Looking at the other returns in the trade, Seattle will now have two first-round picks in what could be a strong 2026 draft class. (The picks could also be additional assets for trades.) Exactly where Seattle will pick in the 2026 draft won’t be known until the end of the 2025 season, but based on the Aces’ success in recent years, the pick Seattle got from them is unlikely to be a high pick.

Li is also a useful pickup in this trade. The Chinese national team member likely won’t start for Seattle, but at 6’7 with good strength, she can provide much-needed height off the bench. If another longtime Storm member and current free agent, 6’6 Mercedes Russell, doesn’t re-sign with Seattle, Li’s size will be even more important.

Li is still young at 25 years old and has plenty of potential. She has only played two seasons in the WNBA, in 2022 with Chicago and in 2024 with Los Angeles. In 2024, Li averaged 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game. She also shot 46.3% from the field and 89.8% from the free-throw line.

Though losing Loyd hurts, Seattle made the best out of a player asking to leave and set itself up for potential long-term success.

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