Winners and losers from blockbuster trade as Jewell Loyd leaves Storm | Analysis

The Storm and Jewell Loyd were destined for a divorce the moment the six-time WNBA All-Star lobbied allegations of harassment and bullying against the coaching staff in November.

Initially, the Storm characterized the dispute as a “workplace complaint” and attempted to reconcile with their disgruntled star.

“I really thought once the investigation was over that things would blow over,” a source familiar with the situation said regarding an independent investigation that found no evidence to support Loyd’s claims. “But it became an untenable situation.”

Attempts at reconciliation proved impossible when Loyd issued an ultimatum: “Fire coach Noelle Quinn or trade me.”

The nearly seven-week standoff came to end Sunday night when a league source confirmed multiple reports that the Storm are sending Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces in a three-team trade in which the Los Angeles Sparks receive Aces guard and former Washington Huskies star Kelsey Plum.

The key part of the deal for the Storm is a swap with the Sparks of 2025 first-round draft picks, which moves Seattle up from No. 9 to second. The Storm also receive the Aces’ first-round pick in 2026 and veteran Sparks center Li Yueru.

The blockbuster deal is expected to become official Saturday, but for now we break down the winners and losers of one of the biggest trades in WNBA history.

Winner: Loyd

Loyd held all the leverage and seemingly got exactly what she wanted. She may have burned bridges and broke a few relationships to force her way out of Seattle, but she landed with the Aces, who won back-to-back titles in 2022 and ’23 before losing 3-1 in the last year’s semifinals to the New York Liberty.

Loyd re-connects with three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young — her teammates with the U.S. women’s national basketball team, which won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

And it can’t be ignored that Loyd joins forces with the team that eliminated the Storm during their last two postseason bids.

Loser: Storm

The Storm sent their best player, who is 31 and still in her prime, to one of their biggest Western Conference rivals.

Furthermore, the Storm helped the last-place Sparks land Plum, which goes against their interest because they own L.A.’s 2026 first-round pick (from last year’s trade involving Kia Nurse).

The Sparks finished 8-32 last year and if they miss the playoffs again, that could result in a high draft pick considering lottery odds are based on the worst cumulative two-year record.

The 2026 draft may include UCLA center Lauren Betts, UCLA guard Kiki Rice and LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson.

Winner: Storm

Yes, two things can be true. Helping the Aces and Sparks is never ideal, but perhaps unavoidable in a 13-team league where trade partners are relatively limited.

Besides, there’s a possibility the Storm aren’t done trading and they are reportedly interested in trading the No. 2 pick to Dallas for the top spot in the April 14 draft and the chance to select Connecticut Huskies star Paige Bueckers.

At the moment, this is just conjecture.

For starters, why would new Wings general manager Curt Miller pass on Bueckers, who is the presumptive No. 1 pick and considered a franchise-building talent?

There’s a theory that Bueckers isn’t interested in playing alongside Arike Ogunbowale on a retooled Dallas team that’s losing Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard, and she could return to college for a sixth year.

There’s also a belief that Bueckers has an affinity for Seattle considering she appeared at a couple of Storm games last season and the team drafted her good friend and former UConn teammate Nika Muhl last year.

The Storm could dangle one of their two 2026 first-round picks to Dallas in exchange for a swap in draft spots in 2025.

Adding Bueckers to a veteran lineup that includes guard Skylar Diggins-Smith, forward Gabby Williams and center Ezi Magbegor should keep the Storm in playoff contention, assuming they re-sign free-agent forward Nneka Ogwumike and replenish a depleted roster with serviceable reserves.

If the Storm miss on Bueckers, there are few viable draft options that could provide immediate help and they might consider trading the No. 2 pick for a veteran shooting guard.

Loser: Quinn

Without picking sides in the Loyd-Quinn feud, the allegations of player abuse is a bad look for the Storm coach who has a 77-74 overall record, including 3-6 in the postseason.

The 40-year-old Quinn was heralded as a rising star in the coaching ranks when the Storm promoted her to head coach on May 30, 2021, following the abrupt retirement of Dan Hughes.

Two years later, the Storm rewarded her with a multiyear extension despite the team’s 11-29 record.

Quinn needs an extended playoff run to silence critics and keep her off the proverbial hot seat.