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The basketball world was taken by surprise when LSU’s national champion Flau’jae Johnson found herself heading to the Seattle Storm shortly after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries as the No. 8 pick in the 2026 WNBA draft on Monday night.
In an unexpected twist, the Storm managed to secure the draft rights to Johnson by trading the draft rights to Marta Suárez to the Valkyries. Along with Suárez, Golden State also received a second-round pick for 2028. Initially, Seattle had chosen Suárez with the first pick of the second round, marked as No. 16.
Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin addressed the media in a post-draft conference, expressing a need for time to articulate her thoughts on the trade. “I’m going to take a beat to be able to eloquently give a response. I don’t have a lot of details to share,” she remarked. “One, because I’m exhausted. Two, because I want to be very thoughtful when I’m talking about other humans and their basketball abilities and how they would or would not show up for our squad.”
Nyanin also refrained from discussing whether salary cap considerations played a role in the decision. “I don’t talk or comment about [the] salary cap, so I wouldn’t be able to answer the question in a way,” she stated, choosing to keep the focus on the human elements of the trade.
“I don’t talk or comment about [the] salary cap, so I wouldn’t be able to answer the question in a way.”
Nynanin also said that the Valkyries had been focused on Suárez for some time.
“Marta is fierce. She’s fearless,” Nyanin said in her news conference. “We have looked at her for a really long time. … She has a very high basketball IQ. Her high character is off the charts. … We felt like she would be a great fit.”
Nyanin later explained to ESPN that the teams agreed to the draft-night trade before submitting their picks — and that the deal “had nothing to do with” Johnson.
Fans were clearly surprised, with many letting out audible gasps, when WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced the draft-night trade just ahead of the No. 17 pick at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York.
Storm general manager Talisa Rhea said the team had been looking for an opportunity to move up in the draft and acquire another impact player.
“We didn’t think that [Johnson] would be available at that point,” Rhea said in a post-draft news conference. “We had been in conversations, and so, as we got closer to that pick, once it became a reality, just really excited.”
Rhea added that Johnson is a key piece for Seattle’s future.
“We’re really excited how [Johnson] aligns and helps us this year, but also is going to be a really important piece for us as we’re building for the future,” Rhea said.
Johnson’s family, sitting in the audience, quickly swapped their draft-night hats from the Valkyries’ lilac purple to bright yellow Storm caps.
Johnson averaged 14.2 points, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals during her senior season at LSU, which ended on a buzzer-beater 3-pointer in a Sweet 16 upset by Duke in the NCAA women’s tournament.
The rapper helped LSU win its first-ever national championship in 2023, defeating Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, 102-85.