Seattle Storm star re-signing is a great step toward championship contention

Gabby Williams is returning to the Seattle Storm, ESPN’s Alexa Phillippou reported on Sunday afternoon. Williams was given the core designation by the Storm last month, meaning that her only way out of the organization would be asking for a trade. Phillippou reported that Williams, however, wanted to stay in Seattle and opted to sign a one-year, supermax contract.

Last season, Gabby Williams joined the Storm midseason, after the Olympic break, and averaged 10.2 points, 4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 12 games. Williams did not play in the WNBA in the first half of the year as she was with the French national team. In large part due to Williams’ play, France earned a silver medal at the Paris Olympics.

In her 6-year WNBA career, Williams has averaged 7.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.3 steals. An elite wing defender, she was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2022, her last full WNBA season.

The Storm are running it back with a similar core as last year’s — Nneka Ogwumike announced she’d be re-signing last month, and Skylar Diggins-Smith and Ezi Magbegor are under contract. From a personnel standpoint, the Storm has the potential to be one of the league’s strongest defenses.

Ogwumike was one of the league’s best two-way players in 2024, ultimately being named to the All-WNBA Second Team. And, Diggins-Smith had a strong year back after sitting out the 2023 season on maternity leave — she averaged 15.1 points, 6.4 assists, and 1.7 steals for Seattle. She’s looked even better playing this offseason in Unrivaled, a new professional 3-on-3 basketball for some of the WNBA’s top players. Magbegor established herself as one of the league’s top defenders, being named to the All-Defensive First Team for the first time in her career.

But, Jewell Loyd, once believed to be Seattle’s franchise player, requested a trade after an up-and-down and was subsequently sent to the Las Vegas Aces. In return, the Storm acquired center Li Yueru from the Los Angeles Sparks and the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 draft. Yueru gave the Sparks good minutes off the bench last year, averaging 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 14.4 minutes, but she’s still in the developmental phase of her career.

In addition, the Storm signed former Sixth Player of the Year Alysha Clark. Clark averaged 6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, shooting 44.3% from the field and 37.3% from three.

Jordan Horston, who was a standout rookie last season, reportedly suffered an ACL injury in an Athletes Unlimited game on Feb. 7, per WNBA reporter Roberta Rodrigues. Whether that injury will impact her availability next season remains to be seen, but if she misses the year, it would be a substantial loss for Seattle.

Last year, the Storm underachieved, finishing the season with a 25-15 record and being swept in the first round of the playoffs against the Aces. But, on paper, they could be poised to be an elite team if the pieces come together. Whether they can run it back with a similar group and make a leap toward true championship contention remains to be seen. Bringing back Gabby Williams is a great first step.