Valkyries immediately trade NCAA champion during 2026 WNBA Draft

In their second-ever WNBA draft, the Golden State Valkyries dropped a draft day shocker by trading the draft rights to the eighth overall pick, LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson, to the Seattle Storm in exchange for TSU forward Marta Suárez, the 16th overall pick, and a 2028 second-round pick.

Across five seasons in the NCAA, Suárez averaged 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds on 43.4% shooting. Suárez rose to prominence after transferring from Cal to TCU, averaging a career-high 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds, leading the Horned Frogs to the NCAA tournament, where they fell in the Elite Eight to the eventual champions in South Carolina.

With Suárez, the Valkyries add a much-needed big to their depleted frontcourt rotation, having lost Monique Billings to the Indiana Fever in free agency. Suárez’s offensive prowess as a big who can pass, dribble, and shoot provides Golden State with another smart player for a system that relies on ball movement and IQ.

On the Seattle side of things, the Storm get one of the best shooters in the draft and an excellent perimeter defender. In four years with the Tigers, Johnson averaged 14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists on 46.7% shooting and 37.3% from deep, bringing the 2022-23 NCAA championship to the Bayou in her freshman year with Angel Reese.

“When I was in high school, I wasn’t ranked,” Johnson said to ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the big draft night stage. “It took a lot of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears, and now I’m here at the draft. This is incredible for me.”

Why did Golden State do this trade?

In the immediate aftermath of this draft-day trade, it’s hard to see why the Valkyries made this move. From a value standpoint, obtaining a future second-round pick at the cost of not only moving eight picks back but also out of the second round does not make a lot of sense. Golden State basically swapped their mid-round first for two seconds.

Additionally, second-rounders rarely stick around in the WNBA. And while there have been success stories like Sophie Cunningham, Jessica Shepard, and Natisha Heideman, it’s a 2028 pick that doesn’t help them in the immediate future. Not only that, but the Valkyries cut their second-round pick, Shyanne Sellers, last year in training camp, an example of how cutthroat it is in the W.

While Suárez fits a lot of what the Valkyries hope to do offensively, it can be argued that Johnson’s fit was equally as well, if not better. Her shooting abilities would have easily made her one of Golden State’s best floor spacers and her perimeter defense next to studs Gabby Williams and Veronica Burton would have been a frightening defensive trio.

It’s hard to judge a trade in the immediate hours after it happened. Especially when none of the players involved have played a single WNBA minute. But given the lack of adequate return for dropping back eight spots in a draft that was pretty top-heavy in the first round, it’s hard to understand the reasoning behind the trade from the Golden State side.

General manager Ohemaa Nyanin will speak after the WNBA draft finishes.

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