At the conclusion of their 2024 season, I asked if the Seattle Storm were a disappointment.
After the 2025 season, the question doesn’t even need to be asked. The Storm organization already provided the answer, parting ways with head coach Noelle Quinn on Sunday afternoon. Quinn, the Storm’s head coach since early in the 2021 season, did not have her contract renewed; the rest of her staff also was dismissed.
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So, a coaching change, at least, is in store for Seattle. What other changes need to come for a team that, despite sporting four All-Stars by season’s end, finished in the No. 7 seed with a 23-21 record and another first-round playoff exit?
The Storm were not without signs of promise, something that makes their overall underwhelming season even more disappointing. Can Seattle build on those positives? Or, does the composite resume of this iteration of the Storm, encompassing both this season and last, demand something more drastic?
Seattle’s individual talent did not translate to team wins
The high point of the Storm season arguably occurred on August 28 in Minnesota. Down by as many as 20 points after losing by 20 points in Indiana just two nights before, a destruction at the hands of the league-leading Lynx seemed destined, a result that would express how far the Storm were from serious title contention. It was indicative of why Seattle, instead, was clinging to a spot in the playoffs.
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Yet, the Storm found something, with a 19-point second half from Skylar Diggins spurring Seattle to the comeback victory, which Diggins smugly punctuated with her own sneering version of the Lynx’s celebratory electric slide. With four 3s apiece from Gabby Williams and Erica Wheeler, a pair of 3s and nine boards from Nneka Ogwumike, five blocks from Ezi Magbegor, five assists from Brittney Sykes and 13 off-the-bench points from Dominique Malonga, the Storm recieved winning contributions from all their key players, crescendoing into an incredible comeback.
But, such a coalescence of the Storm’s talent in a way that led to good wins was all too rare. It also happened in back-to-back road games in Atlanta and New York, where Diggins delivered a game-winning bucket against the Dream and Malonga swung the momentum in the Storm’s favor against the Liberty.
But too frequently, should-be victories were fumbled in manners not befitting a veteran-led team. They followed up those wins in Atlanta and New York with a 10-point loss in Connecticut. They opened the post-All Star stretch with a home loss to the Wings, permitting a 32-point third quarter. They allowed the Mystics to earn a pair of comeback wins. Their three losses to the Sparks—where they held a double-digit lead in all three—were more devastating, especially as they wasted a 37-point and 12-rebound masterpiece from Ogwumike in a double-overtime defeat.
In short, Seattle’s individual talent did not translate into team success consistently enough.
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The organization has, for now, foisted that blame on Quinn, who often appeared to lack the tactical creativity and flexibility required to wring the most wins out of her team. While the team thrived when able to turn defense into transition offense, Seattle too often stalled when forced to generate offense in the halfcourt. And for the second-straight season, their defense slipped over the second half of the season.
The blame has to be shared in Seattle
However, not all the blame falls on Quinn. The front office’s trade deadline swing for Sykes was not a success.
At the time, Seattle’s decision to acquire a player whose style did not necessarily add a new dynamic was a bit puzzling. Although Sykes’ ability to get downhill and draw fouls was a need for a Storm team that lagged in free throws, that skill requires the ball to be in her hands, something that was sure to happen less frequently than was the case in Washington, where her status of the Mystics’ offensive engine earned her a first-time All-Star honor. Off the ball, Sykes is not a 3-point shooting threat. Defensively, Sykes’ strengths as an aggressive playmaker did align with those of Seattle, although her attention to detail on that end seemed to have slacked as she assumed a higher-usage offensive role in Washington.
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Sykes’ imperfect fit was reflected in her inconsistent play. The team was outscored by a total of 10 points during her 420 regular-season minutes. The Storm’s starting lineup with Sykes also was outscored across her 14 games played, whereas the previous starting group with Wheeler was a positive. Outside of her lessened usage, Sykes’ numbers mostly replicated her performance with the Mystics, suggesting that the evaluation of her was the problem, not her performance.
Internal dissension also has emerged as an issue in Seattle. There have been too many allegations and suppositions to totally ignore. Although those of us on the outside cannot knowledgeably comment on the circumstances, much less assess accurate blame, there seems to be enough evidence to suggest that some things need to be addressed.
However, Seattle, like all WNBA teams, cannot tread too far into the future when attempting to fix their ills, as the ongoing CBA negotiations constrict any team-building ambitions. In their exit interviews, Diggins and Ogwumike spoke in ways that indicate they envision remaining in Seattle, with Diggins hinting that she’d like to see the core retained. Wheeler shared that she would consider Seattle first when making her free agency decision, while Sykes suggested she likewise sees Seattle as an option. Magebegor reflected on her time in Seattle when asked about her coming free agency. Williams was the most evasive about her future.
The new CBA, however, could make running it back with this core unfeasible. And even if it is possible to bring back most key players, should Seattle even want to? Because for all the murkiness that remains from another underwhelming season, one thing is clear: Dominique Malonga is the future of this team.
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The future must be dedicated to Dom
Fortunately, for all the disappointment and possible drama surrounding the Storm this season, Malonga only had good things to say about her WNBA debut season.
The Storm organization also has to be satisfied, as she showed enough to substantiate some of the most optimistic musings about her potential. Now, they must invest in making sure she achieves those highest of outcomes.
So, it is worth asking if that involves passing on the potential opportunity to run it back with most of their veteran core, including Diggins and Ogwumike, and instead building a young team that aligns with Malonga’s timeline. The team that the Storm made a midseason trade with—the Mystics—might provide a model that Seattle should follow, where Washington recognized that getting the most out of their promising rookie duo of Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen required removing any veteran players, even very talented ones, that could block their runway. The Storm’s next head coach also has to understand their assignment: maximize Malonga.
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With a lottery pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft courtesy of last offseason’s blockbuster trade that sent Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces, plus another first-round pick, Seattle has the ammunition to begin building a Dom-centric team bursting with potential.
Despite another Stormy season, the future is bright in Seattle. Is the organization ready to fully embrace it?
