The players have had enough. After enduring a season chock-full of injuries and toxic discourse, those who keep the WNBA’s engine running are mostly in agreement that they aren’t paid enough. Caitlin Clark, the league’s biggest superstar, made just $78,066 this year from the league. The average programmer has an annual salary of $99,700. Stephen Curry, Clark’s closest NBA equivalent, makes $59 million per year.
This very obvious, gender-based discrepancy no longer can be brushed aside as a difference in popularity. Everyone knows that the WNBA has gone mainstream, with advertisers putting their brands in the league’s limelight hand over fist. The players union is demanding their fair share. As of writing, it’s currently in negotiations with Commissioner Cathy Englebert. If a deal isn’t made by the Oct. 31 deadline, then a “lockout” would begin. No players would touch the court. The entirety of the 2026 season could be cancelled.
Given the players’ high expectations, and the higher stakes for the league itself, the upcoming season is expected to go through transformational changes. Rosters will change dramatically, salaries will grow exponentially. New teams will debut, and officiating will take a big step forward.
What does this all mean for the Seattle Storm, our local team? After unfortunately repeating history by getting eliminated by the Las Vegas Aces for the third time in five years, it feels like something has to budge. Just doing better than average isn’t enough anymore. There are a lot of opportunities for change across the next seven off-season months, but how many will the Storm actually take?
Shake-up, or settle down?
First and foremost, every starter on the Seattle Storm is up for grabs in free agency. Skyler Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Gabby Williams, Ezi Magbegor, and Brittany Sykes are all able to consider opportunities with other teams, so if the Storm wants to run it back with the same team, they’ll need to negotiate quickly to secure their all-star players.
We can expect almost everyone to negotiate for higher contracts, as the league’s skyrocketing popularity and revenue has energized players to fight for better pay. This is especially true of Diggins and Ogwumike, who are coming off their second year as the team’s de facto captains on the court.
This year’s underwhelming season could suggest that the Storm’s gamble in 2024 — to jump-start the team with the energy of a Diggins/Ogwumike pairing — may not be paying off. Yet still, the duo have mostly avoided being blamed for any stagnation. It was Jewell Loyd and coach Noelle Quinn who instead experienced the fallout.
If the Storm still believe that Diggins and Ogwumike are the future, then they’ll pay whatever price they have to. However, if the front office privately has doubts about either player, now’s the right time to search for their replacements. A staggering 80% of the league’s players will be available in free agency this off-season, including all-star point guards like Courtney Williams, Sabrina Ionescu, and UW legend Kelsey Plum.
In other words: It’s time to put up or shut up. Either commit to the starters you have for the long term, or take on the risk of a bold, dramatic rebuild in search of greater pastures.
Block shots, or back off?
The game’s relationship with its referees is looking likely to change next year. Lynx star Napheesa Collier, after all, was spurred to publicly call out the league’s failings because of a choice, made by a single referee, not to call a foul off her injury during the playoffs. That split-second decision was the spark for a full-blown firestorm across women’s basketball, and we’ve yet to see all of the ensuing fallout.
Players have long believed that the WNBA’s officiating is far too lenient on physical play, resulting in excess injuries. If their concerns are addressed with actual changes, we could see more experienced, hardline referees who are more willing to blow the whistle when rough contact happens on the court.
These changes would have a minimal impact on Seattle overall. The team wasn’t constantly taking fouls or achieving a perfect record last season. The game would change, however, for Ezi Magbegor. The Storm’s starting center has built her career around physically exhausting her opponents near the hoop. She racked up 126 fouls this season, the most of any Storm player and fourth overall in the WNBA. She uses these fouls as a tactical advantage, accumulating free throws off handsy opponents and adding extra points to her aggressive layups.
In a world with more discerning referees, Magbegor would likely get more free throws over the season, but it would come at a cost to her defense. She’s been unafraid to aggressively block shots, which often knocked down smaller players but went uncalled. That wouldn’t fly anymore, and would require Magbegor to work with more grace and precision. If she starts to struggle defensively, the Storm would lose the best shield in their arsenal. Rookie Dominique Malogna would need to majorly step up her game, sooner than expected, to make up for a team without Magbegor at her best.
Wait, who’s our coach?
If the 2026 season started today, the Storm would be a ship adrift without a steering wheel. The big fallout from the team’s failure to move past the Aces was the firing of head coach Noelle Quinn, along with her entire coaching staff. It was a bold move that allows for a clean slate, but it can’t be clean forever. For the Storm to play in the big leagues once again, or just play at all, they’re going to need a new leader on the sidelines.
Unfortunately, the front office is facing competition from outside forces. The New York Liberty, Toronto Tempo, and Dallas Wings are all also actively searching for their next head coach. The Portland Fire hired their choice for coach, Alex Sarama, just a week after the WNBA finals came to an end. If these teams have the same wish list of potential prospects (usually assistant coaches from the NBA), then the best options will likely be snatched up in a matter of days and weeks, rather than months.
It’s a big ask to find the right coach, let alone an entire team of assistant coaches, on an expedited schedule. Still, the team can’t afford to bring in someone who doesn’t gel with the existing roster. Nobody wants a sequel to the toxic “Loyd vs. Quinn” debacle from a few years ago. The choice of coach won’t just change how the team plays on the court, but if precedent stands, it could also impact who’s willing to stay put in the Storm’s locker room.
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