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For months, the top two picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft appeared to be locked in stone. The Dallas Wings would take Paige Bueckers at No. 1, while the Seattle Storm, who acquired the No. 2 pick from the Los Angeles Sparks in the Jewell Loyd blockbuster in January, would select Olivia Miles as a ready-made backcourt replacement.
The real drama, it seemed, would start at No. 3 with the first of the Washington Mystics' three top-six picks.
Not anymore.
Late on Monday, a day after Miles and Notre Dame were eliminated from the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16 by TCU, Shams Charania reported that she would forgo the draft. What's more, she will enter the transfer portal instead of returning to South Bend.
Miles entering the transfer portal adds a fascinating twist to this saga, but for now we'll focus on how her decision to return to school shakes up the top of the draft. In particular, what do the Storm do now?
First, we have to go backwards to see how the Storm wound up with the No. 2 pick and a glaring hole in their backcourt.
The Storm made a big splash in free agency in 2024, signing veteran stars Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith, before adding Gabby Williams after the Olympic break. There were major expectations in Seattle, but the group never meshed in the way everyone had hoped. Loyd had a terrible campaign and their elite defense could only do so much to make up for their middling offense. They finished in fifth place and were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Las Vegas Aces.
Over the next few months, there were a series of franchise-altering incidents. First, Noelle Quinn and her coaching staff were investigated after complaints of bullying and harrassment. Shortly after they were cleared of any wrongdoing, Loyd requested a trade. In late January, just ahead of free agency, the Storm traded their franchise icon to the Las Vegas Aces as part of a three-team blockbuster that brought back the No. 2 pick from the Sparks, Li Yueru and a 2026 first-round pick from the Aces.
Getting the No. 2 pick for Loyd instead of an established player made sense with Miles on the board. With her elite playmaking skills and much improved 3-point shot (40.6% on 5.3 attempts per game for Notre Dame this season), Miles could have helped them this season while also being their lead guard for the future.
It would be interesting to know whether the Storm would still make the same trade if they knew Miles was going back to school. An educated guess would be no, but that all depends on what other offers were on the table. In any case, that's all academic now.
Loyd is gone, the Storm have the No. 2 pick and Miles is not an option. So what now?
Door A: Keep the pick
The simplest path forward for the Storm is to keep the pick and draft someone else. But who? Here's a look at some other potential candidates.
Dominique Malonga -- C, France
Malonga has the most upside of any player in this class outside of Bueckers. The 19-year-old Frenchwoman stands six feet, six inches tall, and averaged an efficient double-double in EuroCup Women action this season while leading Lyon to the semifinals. Her athleticism, coordination and on-ball skills at her size are extremely rare. There's a very real world where Malonga is a franchise player one day.
However, she is still a teenager and there is no guarantee that she will make a smooth transition to the WNBA. Plus, European players have historically not always been fully committed to the league. It would be reasonable if the Storm front office was not willing to take the risk with Malonga, especially with Ezi Magbegor and Ogwumike already in place.
If I was running the Storm I would take Malonga and figure everything else out later. The potential is very real and every team's roster is going to undergo major changes in the coming years with the new collective bargaining agreement and further expansion.
Sonia Citron -- G, Notre Dame
If the Storm would prefer to boost their backcourt, they could consider Miles' college teammate, Citron, who was a three-time All-ACC honoree. She is a versatile wing defender, a reliable 3-point shooter and a decent secondary playmaker. There is a lot to like about Citron and she seems destined to have a long career.
But while Citron is probably the safest pick outside of Bueckers at this point, and would be a good fit for the current Storm roster, do you want to take a 3-and-D wing at No. 2?
Kiki Iriafen -- F, USC
Iriafen has to be mentioned since she is a likely lottery pick. After a breakout junior season with Stanford, Iriafen transferred to USC to team up with JuJu Watkins. While her overall numbers were good, she was inconsistent and didn't show much growth in key areas such as shooting and rim protection. As a result, she was passed by several players on the consensus draft boards, one of whom was Miles.
Iriafen's athleticism and motor cannot be denied, and if she ever develops a consistent jumper to go alongside with her face-up game, she could be a very good player. But will she? And if the Storm are willing to take a big despite having Magbegor and Ogwumike in place, would they take Iriafen over Malonga?
Flau'jae Johnson -- G, LSU
Johnson's own draft decision is a potential wrinkle. Because Johnson will turn 22 this year, she is eligible to declare for the 2025 draft despite only being a junior. After LSU's season-ending loss to UCLA in the Elite Eight on Sunday, Johnson said she was still undecided.
If Johnson decides to declare, that would be excellent news for the Storm. She is one of the best perimeter prospects in college basketball regardless of age, and would be a potential lottery pick this year even if Miles was still in the mix. Johnson can score at all three levels and gets after it defensively. Plus, she would bring immense off-court value.
Johnson is much more of a scorer than a playmaker, but if she turns pro that would allow the Storm to acquire a high-upside guard at No. 2.
Door B: Trade the pick
If the Storm aren't thrilled with any of the options at No. 2, they could try to flip the pick to someone else in another trade. Miles' decision to return to school lowers the value of the pick, but there would likely still be teams interested in it, especially if they're high on Malonga.
Would the Washington Mystics give them Nos. 4 and 6 to move up to No. 2 so they could guarantee themselves Malonga? Or if the Storm wanted to target an established player instead, would the Mystics move Brittney Sykes and one of their first-round picks? What about calling the Connecticut Sun to see if they'd be willing to trade Marina Mabrey after all along with one of their multiple first-round selections?
It may not be easy to find a trade at this stage of the process, but the Storm should at least pick up the phone and see what other teams would be willing to offer.
