With only four players under contract for next season, all of their All-Stars set to become unrestricted free agents, and a first-time head coach coming in, the Seattle Storm are staring at a lot of uncertainty. News about a legal dispute between Dominique Malonga and the Turkish club Fenerbahçe only increased that uncertainty.
Malonga had signed a three-year contract with Fenerbahçe in March, but ultimately decided not to play in Turkey—“without any just cause,” as the club put it on X. That could be a problem because of an agreement between FIBA and the WNBA. Since most WNBA players regularly play in two leagues, W teams sign waivers to allow their players to play in FIBA-run leagues, and other teams similarly give clearance for a player’s return to playing in the WNBA. Fenerbahçe could withhold that waiver and have FIBA look into the matter to determine whether Malonga terminated her contract with just cause or violated it.
Playing without Malonga in the 2026 season would be less than ideal for the Storm. After all, they want every chance possible to develop Malonga in their system and get her as much WNBA experience as possible. Plus, if free agency doesn’t go their way, Malonga would be the ultimate bright spot for the team. The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant provided Storm fans with a sense of optimism on the newest No Offseason episode.
“I think it’s getting a little overblown,” Merchant said. “I would be incredibly surprised if Dominique Malonga were ineligible to suit up for the 2026 WNBA season.”
Dominique Malonga is the key to the Storm’s future success
Between Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, and Brittney Sykes, the Storm have plenty of star power. However, there is no guarantee that any of them will return for the 2026 season. After all, the Storm haven’t found much playoff success in recent years, and hiring a rookie head coach is not often the key to changing that. Even if Seattle loses some of its star power, the team has a bright future, though. Dominique Malonga is only 19 years old, but has already shown how high her ceiling is.
Malonga got off to a slow start, beginning her rookie season at the end of the Storm’s bench. She quickly got acclimated to the WNBA and played her way into a bigger role, reaching many milestones as the youngest player in WNBA history in the process. By the time the playoffs rolled around, Malonga was playing over twenty minutes per game and recorded two double-doubles in her first two playoff games while going up against A’ja Wilson and the Aces.
Plenty of people around the WNBA even expect Malonga to overtake Paige Bueckers as the best player in the 2025 draft class eventually. The Storm will get another lottery pick in the 2026 draft because they own the Sparks’ first-round pick and Los Angeles failed to make the playoffs. Between Malonga and their 2026 pick, the Storm will have two cornerstones to build around.