Flau'jae Johnson Shares First Reaction to Valkyries-Storm WNBA Draft Trade
Former LSU star Flau'jae Johnson was one of the most notable names heading into the WNBA Draft. Johnson has made her name known through both her play on the court under Kim Mulkey with the Tigers, and for her burgeoning music career off it.
So it shouldn't be surprising that she became one of the biggest stories of the WNBA Draft.
Johnson was selected No. 8 overall by the Golden State Valkyries—before being promptly flipped to the Seattle Storm. In exchange the Valkyries received the draft rights to Marta Suarez (No. 16 pick) and a 2028 second round pick from Seattle.
However, despite the quick change, Johnson was thrilled by the end result. Women's Fastbreak On SI caught up with Johnson shortly after the deal, and she had this to say about the trade.
"That was crazy. Me and my brother, we was actually talking about trades and then it happened to me. So I was like dang, I kind of jinxed myself on it," Johnson shared.
Caught up with the newest member of the Seattle Storm Flau’jae Johnson pic.twitter.com/3cNiBmBOZ1
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) April 14, 2026
"But I'm happy, I'm excited. The Seattle Storm is a very good organization and I'm ready to make an impact," she added.
Valkyries GM Doesn't Exactly Explain Flau'jae Johnson Trade
Of course, when a deal like this goes down it is only natural for fans and media alike to wonder what the thought process was behind it. But Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin didn't exactly go into detail.
"I'm going to take a beat to be able to eloquently give a response," Nyanin said per ESPN's Alexa Philippou.
Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin declined to answer questions for now on the selection and subsequent trade of LSU star Flau'jae Johnson:
— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) April 14, 2026
"I'm going to take a beat to be able to eloquently give a response… I don't have a lot of detail to share. One, because I'm exhausted. Two,…
"I don't have a lot of detail to share. One, because I'm exhausted. Two, because I want to be very thoughtful when I'm talking about other humans and their basketball abilities and how they would or would not show up for our squad," she added.
“I think that's a question that has been asked and answered. I would just say that when I'm ready to speak more about what the strategy is behind it. I'll speak on it. I'll also say I don't really speak about my strategy ever publicly, because all other teams are watching to see what our strategy is,”Nyanin later stated, according to Kenzo Fukuda of Clutch Points.
It's been hard to argue with the Valkyries moves up to this point, even if the thinking here wasn't divulged.
Full transcript of Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin's post-draft press conference.
— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) April 14, 2026
The headline was Nyanin declining to comment on GSV's strategy/reasoning behind the Flau'Jae-Marta Suarez trade, but she also talked the Gabby Williams signing, Juste Jocyte, and the other draft picks. pic.twitter.com/kFSjIOLpqv
As for Johnson, she is ready to go with a rebuilding Storm squad, where she'll get a chance to prove if her starpower carries over to the WNBA.
Robin Lundberg is a media veteran and hoops head who has spent the bulk of his career with iconic brands like Sports Illustrated and ESPN. His insights have also been featured on platforms such as Fox and CNN and he can currently be heard hosting shows for Sirius XM and on his burgeoning YouTube show. And now he brings his basketball expertise to Women's Fastbreak on SI!
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