Seattle Storm Seeks New Horizons After Playoff Elimination
After falling to the Las Vegas Aces for the second consecutive year in the first round of the playoffs, the Seattle Storm yearn for a more promising future. General Manager Talisa Rhea expressed her confidence in a new direction following the announcement of Noelle Quinn’s departure as coach for the 2026 season. “We believed we had a talented team with high expectations at the beginning of the season,” Rhea stated. “Despite the inconsistency, we hoped to advance further in the regular season and have an outstanding performance in the playoffs. While there were positive aspects, we expected to go further.” Rhea clarified that the accusations of harassment and bullying against the coaching staff, made last year by All-Star guard Jewell Loyd, did not influence the decision to dispense with Quinn. An independent investigation, concluded in December, found no evidence of wrongdoing. Quinn, who took over as head coach after Dan Hughes retired mid-season 2021, was the second-longest tenured coach in the WNBA and ranks second on the Storm’s all-time wins list.During Quinn’s first season, the Storm won the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. In 2022, they reached the semifinals in Sue Bird’s final year as a player and Breanna Stewart’s last year with the organization. Following the addition of Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike as free agents before the 2024 season, the Storm only won one game in their two playoff series against the Aces. Following Loyd’s transfer to Las Vegas in a deal that gave Seattle the number 2 pick of 2025, used to sign 19-year-old center Dominique Malonga, the Storm began the season with a 16-11 record. Mid-season, they added All-Star guard Brittney Sykes to seek a top-four spot and home-court advantage in the first round. However, some close losses forced Seattle to win the last game of the regular season to secure their place in the playoffs. Rhea believes that the Storm’s performance against contending teams, including a three-game matchup against the Aces that was decided in the last second, demonstrates the team’s potential.“We have shared a lot of time, and I feel a great appreciation and respect for Noelle and everything she has done here, as well as for the rest of our coaches,” said Rhea, who has been part of the Seattle organization since 2015 and was named general manager in 2021. “We have good relationships outside of work, so it’s always difficult to make these kinds of decisions.”
Talisa Rhea
Looking ahead to a WNBA offseason where almost all veteran players will be unrestricted free agents, seeking to capitalize on the potential salary increase thanks to a new collective bargaining agreement, none of Seattle’s starters nor the main substitute, Erica Wheeler, is under contract. Rhea suggested that the Storm would like to keep that group. “We really believe in the team we had this year and in the core group,” he said. “Obviously, there will be a lot of changes this year, and it’s hard to know what it will look like, but I think we have a lot of experience with the people we had on the team this year and we’re excited to have those conversations in this offseason.” Seattle is also looking to the future. Malonga averaged 11.4 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks off the bench after the All-Star break, shooting 58% from the field during that period, and was a key piece in the Storm’s Game 2 victory against Las Vegas. To Malonga and recent draft picks Jordan Horston and Nika Muhl, both absent this season due to ACL injuries, Seattle will add a 2026 lottery pick from the Los Angeles Sparks and another first-round pick from the Aces. “I think it will be very important to continue with that development and, at the same time, have veterans who can put us in a position to succeed,” Rhea said. “At the end of the day, when you have someone like Dom, who is able to impact victories now, we hope to find more young players like her as well.” Rhea made the coaching change three days after the Storm’s season ended to give Quinn the opportunity to explore other options and allow Seattle to seek a replacement. So far, the Storm are the only WNBA team to have changed coaches since the start of the season, but the two expansion franchises that will begin play in 2026, the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo, are also looking for their inaugural coaches.“We feel like we’ve been close to breaking through that barrier, and I think this year we beat a lot of the top teams during the regular season,” Rhea said. “We showed that we could compete with them. We were very close to breaking through that barrier.”
Talisa Rhea
“I think we’re looking for a leader, someone who can manage a group and really establish a new identity,” Rhea said. “There’s a lot of uncertainty, and we’re entering a new chapter, across the league, so we’re excited for someone to be able to make their mark on a team and build trust, build team chemistry and build an identity on the court that will ultimately lead us to try to compete for years to come.”
Talisa Rhea
