The Seattle Storm look almost nothing like the team that finished its playoff series with Las Vegas last September. Free agency stripped away their five top scorers, but Sunday brought a pair of moves that underscored how quickly the franchise is trying to turn the page: Ezi Magbegor was re-signed and Stefanie Dolson was added.
That left Seattle with the third overall selection in the 2026 WNBA Draft and three of the first 16 picks, a haul that gives the Storm a real chance to reshape the roster in one night. Several mock drafts released Sunday linked Azzi Fudd to Seattle at No. 3, while betting odds still had her as the favorite to go No. 1 to the Dallas Wings.
The scale of the turnover is hard to miss. Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams, Erica Wheeler and Brittney Sykes all departed, leaving Seattle without the five top scorers from last season. That kind of loss can force a rebuild somewhere else. In Seattle, the message so far has been different: reload.
Fudd would fit the idea. In her final season at UConn, she averaged 17 points per game and shot nearly 45% from three-point range. The Huskies were undefeated until losing to South Carolina in the national semifinal, and Fudd’s scoring and spacing kept her near the top of draft boards even after Dallas used the No. 1 pick in 2025 on Paige Bueckers.
Dallas is also part of what makes Seattle’s draft path worth watching. Olivia Miles has been mentioned as a possible point guard choice for the Wings, with the true point guard and floor general viewed as a player who could ease the loss of Diggins in free agency. If Dallas goes another direction, it could leave the Storm with a cleaner path to Fudd.
Seattle’s frontcourt is already starting to look crowded in a good way. Magbegor is back, Dolson is in, and Dominique Malonga is part of the mix, giving the Storm a base that can support a rookie scorer if the draft breaks their way. Katie Lou Samuelson is also returning after missing 2025 with an injury, another piece that adds to the sense that this is a reset built around talent already on hand.
For now, the Storm have both the need and the ammunition. They lost the scoring, but they kept the draft capital, and Sunday’s moves made clear they intend to use it fast.
