Seattle Trades Melbourne to Mystics: Done deal For Nika? (Merged)

[JoePgh]

I just saw a headline that the Seattle Storm have traded Jade Melbourne (last year's backup point guard) to the Washington Mystics for a 2025 3rd round draft pick. Because of a paywall, I wasn't able to read the full article in the Seattle Times about this trade, but on the surface, it would appear to clear the way for Nika to be on the Storm roster with no payroll cap issue.

Since they have "unloaded" Melbourne's salary without taking on any new player for 2024, it would seem that Nika has won the backup PG role. The trade serves to make that possible with no salary cap problems. However, it may mean that there is no 3rd PG on the roster to start the season -- I wonder if that will be a problem?

Is that how the rest of you would interpret this action?

 

[Cuango]

I just saw a headline that the Seattle Storm have traded Jade Melbourne (last year's backup point guard) to the Washington Mystics for a 2025 3rd round draft pick. Because of a paywall, I wasn't able to read the full article in the Seattle Times about this trade, but on the surface, it would appear to clear the way for Nika to be on the Storm roster with no payroll cap issue.

Since they have "unloaded" Melbourne's salary without taking on any new player for 2024, it would seem that Nika has won the backup PG role. The trade serves to make that possible with no salary cap problems. However, it may mean that there is no 3rd PG on the roster to start the season -- I wonder if that will be a problem?

Is that how the rest of you would interpret this action?

I thought the problem was always Nika’s salary which put them slightly over cap? I don’t see how this changes that? Jade was at a lower rate because she was not drafted. Hopefully, That is wrong and this does clear the decks for Nika but if the problem was Nika’s salary, I don’t see how this makes a difference?

 

[ochoopsfan]

 

[Bigboote]

It certainly solves the Mystics point-guard problem. There was an article in the WaPo the other day (one of the very few about the Mystics in the last month) about how Coach Thibault fils had asked Brittney Sykes to be the point guard.

 

[BlueSkyGLW]

I didn't think there was any doubt about Nika making the roster, if Nika did the Nika they saw on game films. Quinn's comments about finding Nika available to them at 14 was revealing. They had not included her on their board because they thought she would be gone, so were very happy to see her fall to them. Subsequent nuggets during training camp only reinforced their luck. Whatever financial issues are that needed to be resolved, they would if they really wanted her.

And so, Jade Melbourne is now with the Mystics, though they still need to do work on the money - there are solutions, I am sure, not yet publicly declared.

Here's a nice article on how someone sees the importance of Russell and Nika to the Storm this season. It includes quotes from Quinn on Nika. Snippets of this has been posted in another thread but the whole article is a good read.

(Sorry, the link to The Next article is strange, won't link properly)

Seattle Storm notebook: Mercedes Russell returns renewed, Nika Mühl comes prepared​

This is in the website of The Next, WNBA section; article by Bella Munson

 

[hoopsdiva]

So maybe Vivians or Holmes gets traded for a younger (lower paid) player? Apparently the Storm only needs to squeeze out $17 somewhere.

 

[Henry]

If Nika is the only back-up at PG, then they have to find a way to make the salary cap work.

 

[NEforceUConn]

So maybe Vivians or Holmes gets traded for a younger (lower paid) player? Apparently the Storm only needs to squeeze out $17 somewhere.

Ummm $17 tiny dollars? Can’t they just renegotiate a vets salary to be reduced by a that?

 

[Fanofball]

Ummm $17 tiny dollars? Can’t they just renegotiate a vets salary to be reduced by a that?

At this point just whip out a 20 from your pocket and call it a day.

 

[Jackalope]

From the Seattle Times Article Storm solve backup point guard dilemma by making trade with Mystics :

"Muhl is set to earn $67,249 this year and assuming she stays, that leaves the Storm $209,713 to fill out its roster and divvy between the four remaining players in camp.

Free agent signees Victoria Vivians and Joyner Holmes are slotted to earn $76,535 veteran minimum contracts while center Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu is on the second year of a non-guaranteed rookie deal that pays her $66,597 and free agent guard Kiana Williams would make $64,154.

Seemingly, the Storm will have to decide between Vivians and Holmes."

 

[Dugway]

Um, um, yeh I don’t understand the WNBA …

So that Richard Cohen is the source of the information that I would understand, or thought I had understood! And seems that he is confused about what this means for the team as well.

As far as Point Guards: Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nika Muhl, and Kiana Williams still on the roster, correct? Jewell Loyd & Sami Whitcomb are shooting guards.

And they are down to 12 players now, as they traded Melbourne for a future year player, so they are not taking on one, correct?

Still over the team salary cap even though they traded Melbourne; she was the lowest paid player in camp, how could they not be, correct?

What it means I guess is that the other two minimum salary players (Kiana Williams & Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu) are both safe now. Unless there is some big trade in the works, still to be announced, correct? And by keeping Mendjiadeu they are going to have three centers, so plenty of bigs.

Possibly it means that the team has removed one of the six guards and that is it for that position, and they would now remove one of the four forwards in camp? It would leave three forwards, with three centers, and five guards to fill out the eleven player roster. Seem plausible?

 

[#12in21]

I didn't think there was any doubt about Nika making the roster, if Nika did the Nika they saw on game films. Quinn's comments about finding Nika available to them at 14 was revealing. They had not included her on their board because they thought she would be gone, so were very happy to see her fall to them. Subsequent nuggets during training camp only reinforced their luck. Whatever financial issues are that needed to be resolved, they would if they really wanted her.

And so, Jade Melbourne is now with the Mystics, though they still need to do work on the money - there are solutions, I am sure, not yet publicly declared.

Here's a nice article on how someone sees the importance of Russell and Nika to the Storm this season. It includes quotes from Quinn on Nika. Snippets of this has been posted in another thread but the whole article is a good read.

(Sorry, the link to The Next article is strange, won't link properly)

Seattle Storm notebook: Mercedes Russell returns renewed, Nika Mühl comes prepared​

This is in the website of The Next, WNBA section; article by Bella Munson

Here's the link to the story. You may have to provide an e-mail address for a free account to read it (I'm not sure).

https://www./wnba/seattle-storm/seattle-storm-notebook-mercedes-russell-nika-muhl-wnba/

Quote from Jewel Lloyd: “Everyone’s competing, and that’s something that we, I think, missed in the last couple years is having a full competition every single drill, every single possession,” Loyd said. “And [Mühl] brings that for sure.”

Nika:
“I know that once I step on the court, once you show me a couple things, [the] first time I’m gonna get it. I think about the game a lot. I’m gonna go home right now. I’m gonna watch the film and I’m gonna learn all the actions. So I feel like that stuff is not overwhelming for me,” Mühl said after the opening day of training camp.

She also credited the veterans, particularly Diggins-Smith, for helping lead her in the right direction.

“They’re great leaders,” she said. “And that’s all I need.”

 

[JellyBean]

I am hoping that this opens the door just a little bit more for Nika. I guess we will find out in a few days.

 

[Bone Dog]

It's like Jewell said, if competitive spirit is what they lacked before, Nika is the obvious solution. Yeah, she's got some skills. But mainly she's got a ton of feisty.

 

[Bald Husky]

I am hoping that this opens the door just a little bit more for Nika. I guess we will find out in a few days.

Nika just walked through that door. She is now the back-up for our old friend, Diggens-Smith. Congratulations Nika, we all had faith in your abilities, and I can't wait to see you Tuesday night for your WNBA debut.

 

[Huskee11]

Nika will make the team, I have not doubted that for a minute. The Melbourne trade (for essentially nothing, a third round pick) was an indication that they decided to go with Fankam Mendjiadeu over her and also gives Melbourne a chance to stay in the WNBA as there is a need for her in Washington.

Vivians is the one in the hot seat. I suspect that right now Seattle is trying to deal her for a future pick or two.

I don't think Williams is in the mix but if she makes it Fankam Mendjiadeu does not.

 

[Jaml]

On the videotaped goodbye to Geno (sorry, I know that will bring back tears), Geno was very confident she was making that roster. I am paraphrasing; "At that first practice, figure out what you can do that the team needs."...something like that. Nika wasn't so sure she would make the roster (just like she didn't think she would be drafted), but part of what makes her special is because she wasn't ever the chosen one. Yes, maybe in Zagreb...but she had dreams and worked harder than almost anyone else on the planet. Nika is making the team! (btw, Lara Somfai and the Big O will be UConn commits, but that is pretty much a given as well, correct?)

 

[bkart1978]

This must be such a strange and stressful time for all of the fringe WNBA players. In Nika's case, five weeks ago she was playing college ball and since then there has been a draft, training camp and now almost the season opener - any stage at which she could have been sent packing. You either have a new career in a city you've maybe never been before, or a long summer at home figuring out what to do next!

Do training camp invitees and draftees get put up by the team or are they out of pocket for the expenses surrounding this whole "audition" period?

 

[Bone Dog]

This must be such a strange and stressful time for all of the fringe WNBA players. In Nika's case, five weeks ago she was playing college ball and since then there has been a draft, training camp and now almost the season opener - any stage at which she could have been sent packing. You either have a new career in a city you've maybe never been before, or a long summer at home figuring out what to do next!

Do training camp invitees and draftees get put up by the team or are they out of pocket for the expenses surrounding this whole "audition" period?

I agree. It must be a stressful time, especially for an international player who has no local support network. Nika says she goes home and studies tape. But what is home for her now? A lonely apartment? I’m sure the other players try to welcome the new players. But there’s bound to be limits to how close they can get before it’s clear who’s made the team.

 

[Dugway]

In addition to the players salaries they do receive housing. Do not know what occurs during training camp, but here is a snippet of the regular season.

Section 1.
Lodging.
(a)
During the Regular Season and playoffs, players will be provided with the
following options with respect to housing in the home cities of their WNBA Teams: (i) staying in housing provided by the Team, or (ii) receiving a monthly housing stipend equal to the average monthly cost of a furnished one bedroom apartment in the market where the Team plays its home games, as determined by data published by the local chamber of commerce (or similar organization) in each such market. Neither the WNBA nor any Team may impose restrictions as
to who may visit players in the housing

 

[oldude]

I have to wonder if the Mystics didn’t contact the “ pg heavy Storm” about the availability of Nika in a trade. Certainly Washington’s rookie forward from UConn would have advocated for that trade. The Storm may have responded, “Nika isn’t going anywhere. But we’ve got another pg you might be interested in.”

 

[PacoSwede]

I agree. It must be a stressful time, especially for an international player who has no local support network. Nika says she goes home and studies tape. But what is home for her now? A lonely apartment? I’m sure the other players try to welcome the new players. But there’s bound to be limits to how close they can get before it’s clear who’s made the team.

i guess there is a limit, but i'm quite sure nika is at the limit's extreme outer edge ... she seems to be among the few who've got IT.

 

[Skeets]

Ummm $17 tiny dollars? Can’t they just renegotiate a vets salary to be reduced by a that?

Less painful to renegotiate 4 vets salaries down by $4.25. It may be possible to make up for that in NIL or a Go-Fund-Me page. I am hard pressed to think of a situation in sports more stupid than this. The WNBA wants respect??

 

[maccca3232]

Less painful to renegotiate 4 vets salaries down by $4.25. It may be possible to make up for that in NIL or a Go-Fund-Me page. I am hard pressed to think of a situation in sports more stupid than this. The WNBA wants respect??

Interesting perspective. I am sure there as a lot of things the WNBA should take blame for, but in this situation if blame is to be assigned, I would say the front office who knew the salary cap as well as their draft picks before they signed their free agents.

 

[Huskee11]

When they signed Vivians at the end of March, they knew that they had the 14th pick but they did not know that Nika would be there at 14.

I think the numbers would have worked with the Vivians signing if they kept Melbourne instead of Nika. So (assuming that someone in the organization was crunching the numbers) the assumption at the time of the Vivians signing probably was that the 14th pick wasn't going to make the team ahead of Melbourne. That faulty assumption doesn't really hurt Seattle, but it does hurt Vivians.

At least that's my read of it. The next 24 hours or so will tell.