Valks GM: Agreed to trade before Johnson picked

Following a draft night trade that sent former LSU All-American and 2023 national champion Flau'jae Johnson to the Seattle Storm less than an hour after the Golden State Valkyries selected her with the No. 8 pick, Golden State general manager Ohemaa Nyanin told ESPN that the teams agreed upon the trade before the draft picks were submitted.

"Seattle and I had an agreement to trade picks prior to any athlete selection," Nyanin told ESPN in a phone call following Monday night's draft.

She continued: "I want to be super clear about the draft: This had nothing to do with Flau'jae or any specific athlete selection."

Storm general manager Talisa Rhea said the team had been looking for an opportunity to move up in the draft and get 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."

In exchange for Johnson, the Valkyries acquired the draft rights to Marta Suarez, whom Seattle selected with the first pick of the second round (No. 16 overall), and a 2028 second-round selection.

The trade, which was announced just ahead of the 17th pick, left many in the room stunned, with audible gasps as commissioner Cathy Engelbert delivered the news.

In her post-draft news conference, Nynanin declined to go into detail on her decision to make the trade, saying, "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. 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."

She also declined to comment on whether salary cap implications might have affected the trade, saying, "I don't talk or comment about salary cap, so I wouldn't be able to answer the question in a way."

Suarez, a 6-foot-3 post player, played at Tennessee, Cal and most recently TCU, where she averaged 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds while shooting 37% from the 3-point arc this season.

"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."

The Storm, meanwhile, selected Awa Fam Thiam with the No. 3 pick Monday. They also have other young stars, such as Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 pick from the 2025 draft, and Ezi Magbegor, who is 26 years old and entering her seventh season.

"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 finished her collegiate career tied for the second-most wins and sixth-most points in LSU history. She averaged 14.2 points, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals during her senior season, which ended in a Sweet 16 upset for the Tigers.