The Storm received bad news early this offseason when Jewell Loyd requested a trade out of Seattle. However, things quickly turned around for the Storm when they landed the number two overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft in a huge trade that sent Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and Kelsey Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Storm turned a veteran wanting to leave the team into the opportunity to add a future star to the roster. For quite some time, that player seemed destined to be Olivia Miles. Miles had a great season at Notre Dame and looked like the most pro-ready player after Paige Bueckers. Then, Miles scrambled the draft board with her decision to enter the transfer portal and go to TCU rather than declaring for the WNBA Draft.
So, the Storm have to decide which player to select with their pick now. If they simply want the most talented player with the greatest upside, they should draft Dominique Malonga. Malonga is only 19 years old but already playing well in France. She is currently averaging 15.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game with Lyon.
Malonga is a versatile big who has even been likened to NBA phenom Victor Wembanyama. Her potential alone should be enough to make Malonga a top pick in the draft, but she just gave the Storm another reason to draft her.
Dominique Malonga displayed her loyalty and dedication
Dominique Malonga recently appeared in a Courtside Club Interview with Rachel DeMita and her comments should make her even more appealing to WNBA teams than her obvious talent already does.
During the interview, Malonga seemed very serious about her future in the WNBA—something that is not always a given with international prospects. She voiced her excitement to learn and grow by playing against great bigs like A’ja Wilson and Brittney Griner, said that she hopes to dunk in the WNBA, and revealed that she has a busy few days ahead of her.
The WNBA Draft will take place on Monday, April 14. Malonga’s team is also preparing for the playoffs, though. So, Malonga will fly to New York for the WNBA Draft, come back to France, compete in the playoffs, and then return to the U.S.
It would have been easy for Malonga to make the WNBA her ultimate goal now that the draft is so close and wrap up her season in France early. She does not want to let her team down, though.
“I really want to give back to them, like give everything I have till the last second,” Malonga said about Lyon, also noting how well the team treated her.
That type of loyalty and dedication should only make her more appealing to the Storm, who should hope to draft a future franchise cornerstone with their pick this year.