Storm officially announce Jewell Loyd trade

The Seattle Storm officially announced the three-team blockbuster trade between the Storm, Las Vegas Aces, and  Los Angeles Sparks.

 The  Storm traded  Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces for the No.2  pick in this year’s WNBA draft, the Aces first-round pick in the 2026 draft, and the rights to Chinese International   Li Yueru. The Sparks receive Kelsey  Plum and the Storm’s no.9 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft and the Storm’s second-round pick in the 2026 draft.

 The trade of Loyd to Vegas was one of the worst-kept secrets of the month and a half.  Loyd was allegedly at the center of bullying and harassment charges made towards the Storm coaching staff in early December of 2024. The Storm immediately hired an outside firm to investigate the charges. The firm could not substantiate the charges, which led Loyd to ask for a trade.

MESSY BREAK-UP

The breakup between the Storm and its star is a bad look for the league, the team, and  Loyd. Breakups are never easy, and this one was messy. The Storm selected Loyd no. 1 overall in the 2015 WNBA draft, and it looked like a match made in heaven.

Loyd played in 327 games and ranks second in franchise history for three-pointers made (567), top three for career points (5,536), assists (1,052), and steals (389), and in the top four in rebounds (1,189). She racked up 115 20+ point games and 25 30+ point games in her time with Seattle. In 2023, Loyd broke the WNBA’s single-season scoring record with 939 points, was named Seattle Women’s Sports Star of the Year, and the WNBA All-Star Game MVP.

IRRICONOSCIBILE  DIFFERENCE  

It’s not clear whether the investigation results were the tipping point for Loyd.  For Lyod to allege the charges against head coach Nolle Quin and her coaching staff points to repeated transgression. The question we will never know is, did Loyd bring up to team management?  A question for the team would be how did the situation got out of control and into the public sphere. How the two sides got here is water under the bridge. The two sides are moving forward without each other.

“Over the last 10 years, along with winning two WNBA championships, two Olympic gold medals, and earning six all-star appearances, among several other accomplishments, Jewell established herself as one of the best to play the game. Our entire franchise, from our ownership group to our fans, and everyone in between, loved watching her on the court, seeing her impact on the game and witnessing how she inspired countless young athletes,” said Storm President and CEO Alisha Valavanis. “We are grateful for Jewell’s time with us and all she poured into our community, on and off the court. We wish her all the best in her move to Las Vegas.” 

POTENTIAL POST PRESENCE

The addition of the 6’7 Yueru will add another shot blocker in the paint for the Storm.

Yueru started playing professionally in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association in 2015. She spent five years playing for the Guangdong Dolphins before being drafted in 2019 to the Atlanta Dream. In 2022, her rights were traded to the Chicago Sky, where she played 16 games. In 2024, she was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks. There, she played 38 of the 40 regular season games, averaging 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds. Yueru played on the Chinese National Team during the 2020 and 2024 Olympics and currently plays for Galatasaray S.K. in Turkey. 

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