Latest Seattle Storm trade brings in another impactful WNBA veteran

Los Angeles Sparks guard Lexie Brown has been traded to the Seattle Storm, both teams announced on Friday. The Storm acquired Brown and the Sparks’ 2025 third-round draft pick in exchange for the Storm’s 2025 and 2027 second-round picks — a move that will benefit them in the short term and seemingly reflects Los Angeles’s desire to move forward with other guards on the roster. The Sparks recently traded for All-Star guard Kelsey Plum, who will likely run the show in Los Angeles.

Lexie Brown, a 30-year-old WNBA veteran, hasn’t been able to stay healthy over the past few seasons as she’s dealt with Crohn’s disease. But, she’s currently been dominating the competition at Athletes Unlimited, a professional offseason women’s basketball, and appears to be on the mend heading into next year.

At her best, Brown is an elite shooter who excels on both ends of the court. In 2023, she shot 41.5% from three on a career-high 5.4 attempts per game.

“Lexie is a prolific shooter and all-around great player that bolsters our backcourt,” said Storm general manager Talisa Rhea in an official press release. “Her tenacity to make plays on both sides of the ball and ability to stretch the defense with tremendous range are great additions to our roster and we are thrilled to welcome her to Seattle.”

Last season, Brown averaged 8.1 points and a career-high 3.3 assists per game in 23.7 minutes per night. But, her season was limited by her battle with Crohn’s disease, and she was able to play in just 16 games. Overall, in her three seasons as a Spark, Brown averaged 9.2 points, 2.6 assists and shot 41.6% from the field.

Seattle is in win-now mode, and this move further solidifies that. The Storm had Ezi Magbegor and Skylar Diggins-Smith under contract heading into the offseason, and re-signed veteran forwards Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams.

Last week, they signed veteran guard Erica Wheeler, a former All-Star who played limited minutes on the Fever last year. The Storm also added center Li Yueru (and the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft) via the Jewell Loyd trade, and signed former Sixth Player of the Year Alysha Clark in free agency. Unfortunately for Seattle, they lost two bench players to ACL tears: Jordan Horston and Nika Muhl. Wheeler (33 years old), Clark (37 years old), and Brown (30 years old) all have a myriad of WNBA experience, and at their best, all three can space the floor.

With a core headlined by Diggins-Smith, Williams, Ogwumike, and Magbegor, the Storm should be able to compete with anyone.

And, while Lexie Brown hasn’t played extensive minutes in recent years, she’s demonstrated in Athletes Unlimited this month just how deep her bag is, and how much she can impact the game on both ends when healthy.