The Golden State Valkyries announced the team had waived TCU graduate Marta Suarez on Saturday, a decision that puts a cap on the confusing draft night scenario that saw Flau'jae Johnson signed to the Seattle Storm. The Valkyries initially drafted Johnson as the No. 8 overall pick, and then announced a deal that sent her to the Storm in exchange for Suarez and a 2028 second-round draft pick.
While it's since appeared that the Valkyries were hesitant to draft anyone in the first round (and then be locked into a guaranteed contract with that player), the deal with the Storm caused a ruckus on draft night. The team also had the option to keep Suarez on its roster as a developmental player, a route they've clearly decided against.
The decision to trade Johnson, who has already performed well for the Storm during the preseason, may be one that ends up haunting the Valkyries down the road. The team has found themselves with a full roster and not enough spots to go around — signing Kiah Stokes and Kaila Charles meant Golden State couldn't also swing Johnson's contract, and the team is already oversaturated with shooting guards.
But Golden State still has more tough decisions to make. Kate Martin, Kaitlyn Chen, and Laeticia Amihere are all still on the roster without guaranteed contracts. Chen serves as a back-up point guard, and it's unclear what the team will do about Martin and Amihere. The Valkyries are also anticipating the arrival of 2025 first-round pick Juste Jocyte.
The Valkyries-Storm trade has one winner
If anyone won the Golden State Valkyries-Seattle Storm trade, it's Johnson. She will likely be able to play far more minutes for Seattle than she would have for Golden State, and she'll do so with a young and dynamic team that's hungry to win. Seattle fans have already proven to be big supporters of Johnson, who has averaged 16 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1 steal so far in the preseason.
The Storm are also in rebuild mode, which gives Johnson the opportunity to grow into a leadership role faster than she might with another team.
But on the other end of the spectrum, it's difficult to discern what the Valkyries have gained from the entire ordeal other than not spending money on a first-round rookie. Ultimately, being able to spend money in the ways that will benefit the team the most is the goal, and perhaps Golden State will end up coming out ahead on this once things are said and done.
Add us as a preferred source on Google