Valkyries GM Raises More Questions Than Answers With Mid-Draft Flau'jae Johnson Trade

Flau’jae Johnson was traded during the second round of the WNBA draft and the Valkyries still haven’t explained why. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The most shocking moment of the 2026 WNBA draft came early in the second round when it was announced that Seattle Storm were sending Marta Suárez and a future second round pick to the Golden State Valkyries in exchange for Flau'jae Johnson.

Johnson had been selected by Golden State earlier in the evening with the No. 8 pick in the draft. Suárez was taken with the No. 17 pick. The immediate reaction to the trade was one of confusion as many wondered what the Valkyries were doing. Given the opportunity to explain the move, Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin basically punted.

"I'm going to take a beat to be able to eloquently give a response," said Nyanin. "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."

Asked whether the Valkyries made the trade for financial reasons she also said, "I don't talk or comment about salary cap, so wouldn't be able to answer the question in a way."

However you feel about the value of the players and picks involved in the deal, you would at least expect the general manager to have some sort of explanation. Even simple praise of the player the team just acquired would have raised fewer eyebrows. And yet this is what she had to say about the strategy behind the deal:

"When I'm ready to speak more about what the strategy is behind it, I'll speak on it... I don't really speak about my strategy publicly because other teams are watching."

Compare that to what Seattle general manager Talisa Rhea had to say about Johnson after the deal: "The opportunity to add Flau'jae was really exciting and incredible for us. We didn't think she would be available at that point." She also added, "We're really excited how she aligns and helps us this year, but also is going to be a really important piece for us as we're building for the future.”

Without giving any specific details whatsoever Rhea has convinced you that this was a move the team is happy about and you understand why they did it.

Unsatisfied by Nyanin's non-answers, ESPN tracked down the GM and spoke with her on the phone and she revealed an actual detail about the trade which only made it more confusing.

"Seattle and I had an agreement to trade picks prior to any athlete selection," Nyanin told ESPN in a phone call after Monday night's draft. "I want to be super clear about the draft: This had nothing to do with Flau'jae or any specific athlete selection."

This almost makes it sound like this was a trade that would send a first round pick to Seattle in exchange for two second round picks, regardless of the players involved, but based on what Seattle said, we can presume Johnson was their target all along. Again, we're basing that on the fact that the GM said they wanted her, which we still have not heard from Golden State about Suárez at this point.

The question is, were the Valkyries going to accept any player in exchange for Johnson as long as there was another second-rounder involved? There were seven picks between No. 8 and No. 16. What would have happened if any of the five other teams picking in those spots had taken Suárez?

There's no way that the Valkyries would have agreed to a deal that a third of the league could have easily ruined, right? Otherwise they would have been stuck with Johnson when the GM wasn't even well-rested enough to discuss her "basketball abilities and how they would or would not show up for our squad."

The only thing that's clear about this situation is that Suárez had better pan out in a big way for the Valkyries because if she's not decidedly better than Johnson this is a move that is going to haunt the franchise. And eventually someone is going to have to explain it.

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