On Wednesday evening, stories got here out that Seattle Storm star guard Jewell Loyd has requested a commerce after spending her complete 10-year profession to this point within the Pacific Northwest. Loyd was an instrumental a part of two championship-winning groups, and the Storm have been even on the upswing final season, posting a powerful bounce-back 25-15 document after lacking the playoffs completely in 2023.
Thus, for Loyd to request a commerce from the Storm is a significant deal, and her choice to take action comes as a response to the outcomes of an exterior investigation relating to alleged harassment and bullying by the teaching employees that concluded with out discovering any violations, as per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Solar Occasions.
It has now come to gentle that it was Loyd who filed the grievance relating to the Storm teaching employees’s alleged misdeeds, in response to the sources of ESPN’s Alexa Philippou. This explains why she is now angling for a transfer away from the staff in gentle of the outcomes of the lately concluded investigation.
It does appear to be that is the top of Loyd’s storied tenure with the Storm franchise, and what a tragic method it’s to go for somebody everybody will contemplate a franchise legend. She made the All-Star staff six instances with Seattle, averaging 16.9 factors. 3.6 rebounds, and three.2 assists whereas being one in every of their most constant gamers on a game-per-game foundation.
She was the star participant who stayed with the Storm following the 2022 season, and he or she reaffirmed her dedication to the staff by signing an extension within the aftermath of Breanna Stewart’s departure for the New York Liberty and Sue Fowl’s retirement.
Loyd ought to draw loads of curiosity on the commerce market, particularly for groups which might be in want of a significant increase in expertise within the backcourt.
Jewell Loyd’s storied Storm stint is coming to an finish
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It isn’t fairly clear what sort of harassment and bullying was occurring behind the scenes from the Storm teaching employees in the direction of the gamers. However evidently, these have been critical sufficient for Loyd to file a grievance, particularly when “the investigation was sparked by the expertise of a number of gamers”, as per Philippou’s report.
Additionally it is reasonably odd that Loyd, amongst others, was experiencing this sort of remedy when the Storm’s head coach is a former teammate of hers in Noelle Quinn. However on the very least, a brand new chapter is ready forward for the 31-year-old guard as she appears to be like to place this saga within the rearview mirror.