WNBA News

[Orangutan]

Wow that's an upgrade from Dolson/Deshields. Huge pickup for the Sky. Question is will Sloot/Quigley stay or are they venturing elsewhere? A trio of Parker, Meesseman and Copper is very good. Keep Sloot/Quigley and they're a title threat again.

In order to sign all four of Vandersloot, Quigley, Meesseman, and Copper, some folks are going to have to agree to team-friendly deals.

An interesting wrinkle is that Vanderquigs are teammates with Emma at UMMC Ekaterinburg and have been for a few years now. One wonders if they discussed the idea of all taking a little less to play together in the WNBA.

At this point, I don't see Sloot going anywhere. Seattle's money is surely all spoken for between Bird, Loyd, Stewart, and Russell. I don't know what other contender has both cap space and a vacancy at starting point guard.

She said her top priority for free agency was to play with talented players. Not sure how you are going to do much better on that front than Copper, Meesseman, and Parker.

I think the most likely scenario where they don't both come back is that Quigley simply retires.

 

[MSSportsGuy]

It will be an interesting year in the WNBA. Fowles has announced this is her final year. Bird is coming back but is likely in hers as well. DT and Parker have yet to verbally commit. I do think both will come back but I look for one or both to be playing their final season.

 

[Argonaut]

An interesting wrinkle is that Vanderquigs are teammates with Emma at UMMC Ekaterinburg and have been for a few years now. One wonders if they discussed the idea of all taking a little less to play together in the WNBA.

And, fwiw, Meesseman was in also Ekaterinburg the year James Wade was an assistant.

 

[FanFromMaine]

I like this move for Seattle. January is a tough, physical defender on the perimeter which was lacking on last year's team. Does this mean Canada will be wearing a new uniform next season?

I forgot that Napheesa will be my absent this next WNB season so Minnesota needed an Angel to step in. Maybe Cheryl can handle her better than her three previous coaches.

Who doubts her amazing talent but is Angel subtraction by addition? Her play on the Olympic teams demonstrates that she can be team player. But league play has been a different story.

 

[Geew1992]

Wow!!

 

[ochoopsfan]

part 2 of the thread

 

[nwhoopfan]

Irony overload. All of Chicago's stars left over the years, except for Sloot, helped get them a Championship, now they're gonna risk losing her? We'll take her in Seattle in '23 when Bird retires and Stewie signs somewhere else.

 

[undersized]

 

[Orangutan]

 

[nwhoopfan]

Has any player ever played for 4 different teams her first 4 years in the league before? If so, it probably wasn't a top 4 draft pick. Gabby for KLS straight up seems like an OK trade, why do the Storm have to throw in a draft pick as well?

 

[Orangutan]

I just want Katie Lou to play for 12 teams in 12 years at this point.

 

[bballnut90]

Has any player ever played for 4 different teams her first 4 years in the league before? If so, it probably wasn't a top 4 draft pick. Gabby for KLS straight up seems like an OK trade, why do the Storm have to throw in a draft pick as well?

Agree, the deal should have been Gabby for KLS straight up. Not sure why they gave up a draft pick for Williams too.

 

[bballnut90]

Wow!!

Sad to hear. Guessing Chicago took her for granted which is a shame since she was arguably the most important player on their title team a year ago. She's been the top PG in the league for a few years too now. I'm shocked they don't value her more. I hope Sloot plays, she's great to watch.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Maybe the Storm think Williams can be like Clark was for them. Although I have a hard time seeing a career 25% 3 point shooter ever getting up around 50% like Clark was her last couple years with Seattle.

Like their off season moves last year, adding January and Williams isn't really moving the needle much I don't think. Maybe they'll be a bit better defensively. We don't actually know yet if January is replacing Prince or Canada though, right?

 

[BRS24]

From twitter (my head is spinning) -

Sources have informed @Winsidr of an expected three-team trade involving the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky. Phoenix receives Diamond DeShields. Chicago receives Julie Allemand and the 2023 1st round pick from Phoenix.

Indiana has their own first round pick #2 in 2022 and now the #7 from Chicago and the #10 pick. In 2023 Indiana has their own first round pick and the better of Chicago and Phoenix 1st round pick next year.

The Indiana Fever receive Bria Hartley, the 2022 No 20 pick & 2023 2nd round pick from Phoenix, and the 2022 No. 7 pick and the rights to swap Chicago/Phoenix 2023 1st round pick.

 

[Dillon77]

According to Em Adler of The Next:

"Los Angeles, Seattle: The Storm traded combo forward Katie Lou Samuelson and its first-round pick (ninth overall) to Los Angeles for wing Gabby Williams, per Galligan. The only takeaways I can make here are that the impression that I and Mark Schindler of Premium Hoops and Basketball News had of her play did not jive with the team’s assessment; and, that teams’ impressions of Gabby Williams are quite divorced from her most recent WNBA play. Because the fact that the Storm, an aging team that will desperately need rookies to develop soon, had to throw in a first-round pick to add $72,000 to its cap sheet is pretty significant."

And here's an article on the Whole Night of looney-tunes trading, including Bria Hartley to the Fever.

https://www./features/daily-briefing-feb-3-2022-deal-chicago-indiana-phoenix-seattle-los-angeles/

With the addition of Asst. Coach Ann Wauters and Emma Meesseman, it seemed just a matter of time until Julie Allemand joined them from Indiana. @Orangutan, maybe Wintrust Arena will start serving various Blue Moon ales?

Imagine Dana Evans is now very invested in seeing what develops on the Vandersloot front....

 

[Dillon77]

Agree, the deal should have been Gabby for KLS straight up. Not sure why they gave up a draft pick for Williams too.

Maybe the Storm think Williams can be like Clark was for them. Although I have a hard time seeing a career 25% 3 point shooter ever getting up around 50% like Clark was her last couple years with Seattle.

Like their off season moves last year, adding January and Williams isn't really moving the needle much I don't think. Maybe they'll be a bit better defensively. We don't actually know yet if January is replacing Prince or Canada though, right?

From Em Adler of the Next:

• "Because the fact that the Storm, an aging team that will desperately need rookies to develop soon, had to throw in a first-round pick to add $72,000 to its cap sheet is pretty significant."(

(Dillon's druthers: Money for Steph Talbot instead of a first-round draft pick?)

From Her Hoop Stats:

• Briann January: Her deal with Seattle is for one year at $140,000, per Her Hoop Stats’ Richard Cohen, and she will retire after the 2022 campaign.

 

[eyeroll]

From twitter (my head is spinning) -

Sources have informed @Winsidr of an expected three-team trade involving the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury and Chicago Sky. Phoenix receives Diamond DeShields. Chicago receives Julie Allemand and the 2023 1st round pick from Phoenix.

Indiana has their own first round pick #2 in 2022 and now the #7 from Chicago and the #10 pick. In 2023 Indiana has their own first round pick and the better of Chicago and Phoenix 1st round pick next year.

The Indiana Fever receive Bria Hartley, the 2022 No 20 pick & 2023 2nd round pick from Phoenix, and the 2022 No. 7 pick and the rights to swap Chicago/Phoenix 2023 1st round pick.

Wow. IMO this feels like a dumb move for Phoenix. Deshields has huge potential but has been generally inconsistent. 2023 is going to be a loaded draft with great talent...not worth throwing away the opportunity for a good young player.

 

[nwhoopfan]

Huh. Allemand was good when we last saw her playing for Indiana, but she ain't Sloot. Does this indicate the Sky are planning on moving on from Sloot?


Jeez, what will Seattle have after '22? Loyd, Magbegor, Russell...anyone else? Seems like just about everybody else is likely to be retiring or signing somewhere else.

 

[baggerbob]

Huh. Allemand was good when we last saw her playing for Indiana, but she ain't Sloot. Does this indicate the Sky are planning on moving on from Sloot?


Jeez, what will Seattle have after '22? Loyd, Magbegor, Russell...anyone else? Seems like just about everybody else is likely to be retiring or signing somewhere else.

Gabby can play multiple positions, and opens up getting Ezi more minutes with Stewie sliding to the 3 at times. Against teams like Connecticiut, and Phoenix if Charles signs.
Clark could play multiple positions, and wasn't always a 50% three point shooter.
She got a lot of open looks because of Stewie, Howard, Loyd, and Sue.

 

[WFFL]

Wow. IMO this feels like a dumb move for Phoenix. Deshields has huge potential but has been generally inconsistent. 2023 is going to be a loaded draft with great talent...not worth throwing away the opportunity for a good young player.

The move is more so to get rid of hartleys contract for their big target of Tina Charles to be able to afford her. PHX is not done.

 

[garddog]

Wow. IMO this feels like a dumb move for Phoenix. Deshields has huge potential but has been generally inconsistent. 2023 is going to be a loaded draft with great talent...not worth throwing away the opportunity for a good young player.

Lot of head scratching on this. No idea what Catchings is thinking. More picks for the perpetual rebuild I guess.

 

[Orangutan]

The move is more so to get rid of hartleys contract for their big target of Tina Charles to be able to afford her. PHX is not done.

They are now paying most of what they were paying Hartley to DeShields.

So this trade doesn't clear very much cap space for Charles.

 

[Orangutan]

Wow. IMO this feels like a dumb move for Phoenix. Deshields has huge potential but has been generally inconsistent. 2023 is going to be a loaded draft with great talent...not worth throwing away the opportunity for a good young player.

They made the finals last year but they didn't have enough depth to win it all.

They don't care about the draft with Taurasi near the end. DeShields helps them win now, at least in theory.

 

[eyeroll]

They made the finals last year but they didn't have enough depth to win it all.

They don't care about the draft with Taurasi near the end. DeShields helps them win now, at least in theory.

Yeah, someone else mentioned that and it does make sense. They have a whole year to get a pick back too. LOL