Flau'Jae Johnson was traded from the Golden State Valkyries to the Seattle Storm just an hour after being drafted as the No. 8 pick. The trade involved Johnson and the 16th pick, Marta Suarez, along with a second-round pick in 2028, leading to confusion about the rationale behind the deal.
Valkyries' explanation of Flau'jae Johnson trade with Storm remains confusing after WNBA Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Flau'Jae Johnson only got about an hour to believe she was a member of the Golden State Valkyries before she was traded to the Seattle Storm during the WNBA Draft on Monday night.
And as the rest of the picture came out, things started to make even less sense than they seemed at the time of the trade announcement.
The first confusion is simply the deal.
Johnson was the No. 8 pick in the draft. She went to Seattle for the 16th pick of the draft (Marta Suarez), as well as a 2028 second-round pick.
Generally speaking, two second-round picks wouldn't automatically equal a first-round pick in this way, but that's how the Valkyries decided upon the math here.
It got even weirder in the comments Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin made to ESPN afterward.
"Seattle and I had an agreement to trade picks prior to any athlete selection," Nyanin told ESPN. "I want to be super clear about the draft: This had nothing to do with Flau'jae or any specific athlete selection."
That's saying that Golden State had already agreed to the No. 8 pick for the two second-rounders before they were even on the clock.
Sure, teams often make trades well in advance of a draft that include multiple draft picks. But right as the draft arrives?
Almost always, a team will assess who is on the board at its pick before finalizing any trade.
In this case, it sounds like the Valkyries basically knew they were picking for the Storm when they got on the clock.
At least based on how draft-night trades normally go down, that seems to make this one even a bit weirder.
Long-term, it'll be judged more on how Johnson, Suarez and that future pick perform in the WNBA.
But on the night it happened, there was a lot that led to some serious confusion for hoops fans.
Flau'Jae Johnson was traded from the Golden State Valkyries to the Seattle Storm for the 16th pick in the draft, Marta Suarez, and a second-round pick in 2028.
The trade is confusing because Johnson was a high draft pick at No. 8, and the rationale for trading her for a lower pick and future assets is unclear.
The trade impacts the Valkyries by losing a top prospect and acquiring a lower draft pick, while the Storm gain a promising player in Johnson to enhance their roster.
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