Flauājae Johnson was traded from the Golden State Valkyries to the Seattle Storm less than an hour after being selected as the No. 8 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. The unexpected trade shocked fans and involved the Valkyries receiving Marta Suarez and a 2028 second-round pick in return.
Flauājae Johnson's time with the Golden State Valkyries lasted less than an hour, as Monday night's No. 8 overall pick at the WNBA Draft was traded to the Seattle Storm in a stunner of a deal in the second round. It's quite rare to see players who were just drafted ā especially ones of a high caliber like Johnson ā be traded on the very same night, but that's exactly what the Valkyries did. When WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert took the stage to announce the Storm's pick to kick off the second round, instead of a player, she broke the news of the deal between the Storm and Valkyries. **MORE WNBA DRAFT:** Live updates of every 2026 WNBA pick in all 3 rounds. In the trade, the Storm acquired Johnson's draft rights, while the Valkyries got newly drafted Marta Suarez and a 2028 second-round pick. The trade was so unexpected that the breaking news elicited a stunned reaction from the crowd in New York for the draft.
BIG TRADE š²
The Seattle Storm have traded the draft rights to Marta Suarez (selected 16th overall) and its own 2028 2nd round pick to Golden State for the draft rights to Flau'jae Johnson (selected 8th overall). pic.twitter.com/0uJnvqknCA
ā TSN (@TSN\_Sports) April 14, 2026 Yeah, no one was expecting that at all. WNBA fans on social media were equally overwhelmed by the trade, as shocked reactions flooded both Twitter and Bluesky the moment the deal was announced. the gasps šš
ā never trust someone with no shoulders š š¾ (@toosassymaya) April 14, 2026 Flauājaeās Valkyries career: pic.twitter.com/1K4H8cUnZf
ā Boudy (@BoudyMenshawy) April 14, 2026 I am absolutely speechless about the Flau'jae Johnson-Marta Suarez trade.
And that's hard to do.
ā Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) April 14, 2026 Man those 8 minutes we had Flauājae sure were neat
ā Katie Nolan (@katienolan) April 14, 2026 *This article originally appeared on For The Win: WNBA fans stunned as Valkyries trade Flauājae Johnson after drafting her*
The Valkyries traded Flauājae Johnson to the Seattle Storm for Marta Suarez and a 2028 second-round pick, making it a surprising move shortly after the draft.
The Seattle Storm traded the draft rights to Marta Suarez, who was selected 16th overall, along with a 2028 second-round pick to acquire Flauājae Johnson.
Fans expressed shock and disbelief on social media, with many reacting immediately to the unexpected news during the draft event.
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