Storm Seeks New Era: Coaching Change After WNBA Elimination

Seattle Storm Looks for New Horizons After Playoff Elimination

After falling to the Las Vegas Aces in the first round for the second consecutive year, the Seattle Storm are looking to move forward with a new coach. This was stated by general manager Talisa Rhea on Monday, a day after the franchise announced the departure of Noelle Quinn for 2026.

“I think we had a talented roster with high expectations at the beginning of the season,” Rhea commented. “Considering the individual talent and the roster as a whole, we expected to finish better in the regular season and have a good performance in the postseason. There was some inconsistency, although many positive aspects. We hoped to go a little further.”

Talisa Rhea, General Manager of Seattle Storm

Rhea clarified that the harassment allegations against the Storm’s coaching staff, made last year by All-Star guard Jewell Loyd, did not influence the organization’s decision not to re-sign Quinn. An independent investigation concluded in December without finding any violations. Quinn, promoted to head coach after Dan Hughes’ retirement midway through the 2021 season, was the second-longest tenured coach in the WNBA, second only to Cheryl Reeve of the Minnesota Lynx, and ranks second on the Storm’s all-time wins list. “We’ve been together a long time, and I have a great appreciation and respect for Noelle and everything she’s 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 very good relationships outside of work, so it’s always difficult to make these kinds of decisions.” During Quinn’s first season, the Storm won the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. Seattle reached the semifinals in 2022, in Sue Bird’s last year as a player and Breanna Stewart’s last year with the organization. Following the arrival of Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike as free agents before the 2024 season, the Storm only won one game in the two playoff series against the Aces. After trading Loyd to Las Vegas in a move that gave Seattle the No. 2 pick of 2025, used for 19-year-old center Dominique Malonga, the Storm began the season with a 16-11 record. Seattle added All-Star guard Brittney Sykes in a mid-season trade, seeking a top-four spot and home-court advantage in the first round. However, some close losses forced Seattle to win their last regular season game to secure a playoff spot. Rhea felt that the Storm’s success against contenders, including taking the Aces to three games in a series that was decided in the last second, demonstrated the potential of the team’s core.

“We felt like we were close to taking that step, and I think this year, we beat a lot of the top teams during the regular season,” Rhea said. “We showed we could compete with them. We were really close to breaking through that barrier.”

Talisa Rhea, General Manager of the Seattle Storm

With a WNBA offseason where almost all veteran players will be unrestricted free agents, hoping to capitalize on the potential for higher salaries thanks to a new collective bargaining agreement, none of Seattle’s starters, nor the main substitute, Erica Wheeler, are under contract. Rhea suggested that the Storm would like to keep that group. “We really believe in the roster we had this year and the core group within it,” 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 roster 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 key in the Storm’s Game 2 win 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 that development and, at the same time, have veterans who can put us in a position to succeed,” Rhea said. “In the end, when you have someone like Dom, who can impact wins now, we hope to find more young players like her as well.”

Talisa Rhea, General Manager of Seattle Storm

Rhea made the coaching change three days after the Storm’s season to give Quinn the opportunity to seek other opportunities and allow Seattle to look for 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 playing in 2026, the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo, are also looking for their inaugural coaches.

“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 really be able to put their stamp on a team and build trust, build team chemistry and build an identity on the court that ultimately leads us to try to compete for years.”

Talisa Rhea, General Manager of Seattle Storm