Valkyries GM Reveals Key Flau’Jae Johnson Trade Factor Amid Expansion Draft Regret Confession
Apr 25, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Seattle Storm guard Flau'jae Johnson (4) and assistant coach Michael Joiner talk during a timeout against the Golden State Valkyries in the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: David Gonzales-Imagn Images ©David Gonzales-Imagn Images Fans finally have the answer to why it all happened! Three weeks ago, the Golden State Valkyries drafted Flau’jae Johnson as the No.
8 overall pick, and while everyone felt like it was a perfect fit, the franchise went on to swap her rights with the Seattle Storm for the rights to the No. 16 pick, Marta Suarez, and a 2028 second-round pick. However, when the Valkyries’ GM was asked why?
All she had to say was, “I’m going to take a beat to be able to eloquently give a response. ” However, that was back then because Ohemaa Nyanin has revealed the behind-the-scenes for this move. During the Valkyries’ media day, the General Manager pointed her finger at cap flexibility.
“The decision-making around the draft had a lot to do with cap flexibility. We had the opportunity, or we thought we had the opportunity, to potentially sign another athlete,” she said. As per the new CBA, first-round pick Flau’jae Johnson was all set to receive $309,622 in her first season, which would total up to $1,386,092 over four years.
But because of the trade, they saved around $40,000, as Saurez would get only $270,000. Though after the draft, the Valkyries had close to $750,000 of cap space, they ended up spending the majority of that re-signing Tiffany Hayes. So with the goal to “sign as many as returners as possible,” and long-term flexibility in mind, the Golden State front office went down this path.
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