Seattle Storm re-sign Kiana Williams

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Friday afternoon, Seattle re-signed combo guard Kiana Williams to a seven-day contract.

Williams, a rookie out of Stanford, had been one of the Storm’s second-round picks in the 2021 draft in April. She was waived on June 28 by Seattle, possibly to avoid having her contract guaranteed for the rest of the season ahead of the guaranteeing date.

Williams has all of 24 WNBA minutes to her name, and less than a handful of shots that weren’t simple spot-up threes; she essentially simply spent her prior time in Seattle developing.

Coming out of college, she was an all-around scorer and facilitator who could struggle to create her shot when a defender took away her stepback. Williams was a decent perimeter defender at the collegiate level, who adjusted well from being Stanford’s point guard as an underclassman to splitting leading duties upon the arrival of Haley Jones, the nation’s No. 1 freshman in 2019 and a 2023 WNBA lottery prospect.

Given the length of the contract, it’s likely Seattle just wanted a warm body off the bench who knew the team’s system and could play the initial games when the whole roster might not be back up at complete mid-season form. Williams will be eligible to play in the Commissioner’s Cup.

It’s possible the Storm retain Williams for the remainder of the season, given that the team is structured to have ten players at the expiration of her contract.