The Seattle Storm have officially hit rebuilding mode after the departure of franchise superstar Breanna Stewart to the New York Liberty in WNBA free agency. It's no easy task reshaping a roster after losing a player of that caliber essentially for nothing. After the WNBA free agency moratorium period ended and players could officially sign new contracts, the Storm were left with only two players, Jewell Loyd and Mercedes Russell under contract. They have a little more semblance of a roster now with their own free agent signings in Kia Nurse, Ezi Magbegor and Sami Whitcomb.
In Ezi Magbegor, the Storm are bringing back a frontcourt player who showed a lot of growth and development in her third season in the league. Magebgor was initially drafted by the Storm in the first round of the 2019 draft with the 12th overall pick but she did not make her WNBA debut until the 2020 season winning a championship with the team. Last season she averaged 9.5 points per game, 5.6 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots.
With Sami Whitcomb, the Storm are welcoming back one of the best shooters in the WNBA who spent the first four seasons of her career with the Storm after going undrafted in the 2010 draft. She did not break through to the WNBA until the 2017 season. Last season with the New York Liberty, Whitcomb averaged 6.5 points per game, 2.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 35.1 percent from the three-point line.
In Kia Nurse, the Storm have added a veteran guard who missed all of last season due to an ACL injury, but looked much more like her old self during World Cup competition with Canada, her first time back on the court. During the 2021 season with the Phoenix Mercury, Nurse averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds while shooting 35.3 percent from three-point range.
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