What re-signing Nneka Ogwumike means for the Seattle Storm

The importance of re-signing a player of Ogwumike’s talent can’t be overstated, especially after the Storm lost star guard Jewell Loyd in a three-team trade this week. Ogwumike has had an exceptional WNBA career, and 2024 was no different. After spending the first 12 seasons of her career with the Los Angeles Sparks, Ogwumike joined the Storm in 2024 and was their most consistently high-level performer.

Ogwumike averaged 16.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game last season while shooting 51.1% from the field, 40.5% from 3-point range and 87.6% from the free-throw line. She provided Seattle with a toughness on the glass that was desperately missing before she joined the roster while also spreading the floor with her 3-point shooting. She was named to the All-WNBA second team and All-Defensive second team last season.

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The Storm went 25-15 and finished fifth in the regular season in 2024, a massive turnaround from 11th place in 2023. Despite Seattle’s disappointing finish to the 2024 season — getting swept in the first round of the playoffs — Ogwumike talked very positively about her experience and stated her intention to return.

“Obviously, this last free agency was the most eventful one that I’ve had, and I’m glad that I was able to be a part of the Seattle family this year,” Ogwumike told reporters in her exit interview in September. “So I’m going to approach [free agency] as openly as I can, knowing exactly where I had great success and knowing what I want to achieve individually and also collectively, with groups of people that I really do respect.”

Ogwumike also expressed how much she appreciated feeling represented by the Storm coaching staff.

“That’s something that I have not ever experienced, and they made me a better professional and a better player for it,” Ogwumike said. “Especially being coached by a Black woman who played in this league who is being positioned by mostly women owners, I think that that’s something that spoke to my ethos and I think it also speaks to the progress that I hope to see in myself and also as part of an organization.”

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Seattle hopes to build on the success of 2024 with its starting core mostly intact. A major piece of that returning core is veteran point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith. After joining Seattle in free agency at the same time as Ogwumike, Diggins-Smith found her form in the second half of the season.

Ogwumike and Diggins-Smith describe themselves as best friends and have great chemistry on the court. Of Ogwumike’s 252 made field goals in the 2024 regular season, 189 were assisted. According to Her Hoop Stats, 92 of those were assisted by Diggins-Smith. Loyd produced the next-most assists for Ogwumike with 33.

As Diggins-Smith and Ogwumike gain more on-court experience together, it is fair to expect their connection to continue to grow and result in even more buckets for the Storm.

Starting center Ezi Magbegor will also return to play alongside Ogwumike. Olympic silver medalist Gabby Williams, who took over a starting spot after the Paris Olympics, was cored by the team and is expected to return. (Williams has not confirmed her return since the core tag was made public.)

Guards Jordan Horston and Nika Mühl are the other players under contract with the Storm for 2025, but Mühl is out for the season after tearing her ACL overseas. Additionally, the Storm have the rights to forward Mackenzie Holmes, a third-round draft pick in 2024 who sat out last season to get knee surgery.

Even without knowing what amounts Ogwumike and Williams will sign for, the Storm should have ample cap space to fill out the roster. And free agents may be more inclined to sign with a team boasting Ogwumike’s talent and trust.

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However, Seattle also has the No. 2, 21, 29 and 34 picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft to help complete the roster.

If Notre Dame star Olivia Miles declares for the draft and Seattle retains the No. 2 pick, the Storm could bring a new generational point guard to Climate Pledge Arena. Diggins-Smith, who also played for the Fighting Irish, posted several times during the offseason about training with the current squad, showing a particular fondness for the backcourt duo of Miles and Hannah Hidalgo. Perhaps Miles will be tempted to declare for the draft in order to continue learning from Diggins-Smith.

Another option, particularly if Miles doesn’t intend to declare, is to try to trade the No. 2 pick and additional assets to get the No. 1 pick from the Dallas Wings and draft UConn guard Paige Bueckers.

However Seattle manages its draft assets, expect the 2025 Storm to feature an exciting mix of young talent and veteran All-Stars like Ogwumike and Diggins-Smith.