Flau'Jae Johnson trade grades: Analyzing Valkyries-Storm WNBA Draft deal
Okay, this was a SHOCK.
The Golden State Valkyries and Seattle Storm pulled off a bizarre trade during Monday night's 2026 WNBA Draft. To a lot of shock in the room in New York City, the Valkyries traded LSU guard Flau'Jae Johnson to the Storm at the top of the second round for TCU forward Marta Suárez and a 2028 second rounder. Simply put, this is a shocker for everyone involved.
Why didn't Golden State just take Suárez, unless that 2028 second rounder is a coveted asset for the Valkyries? How lucky is Seattle here? We love this for one team, but for the other, we're confounded as to how it got here.
Here are our grades. SEATTLE GRADE Somehow, the Storm traded for Johnson in the second round with Golden State and only gave up its selection in the second round and a 2028 second rounder to facilitate the deal. Johnson is going to likely start right away for the Storm and could develop into a star with Seattle.
We absolutely love this for everyone involved. TRADE AND PLAYER GRADE: A GOLDEN STATE GRADE The Valkyries traded for Suárez and added a 2028 second rounder in a bizarre trade that sent Flau'Jae Johnson to the Storm. We're perplexed as to how in the world this happened.