Flau’jae Johnson Traded To Seattle Storm Shortly After Being Selected By Golden State In WNBA Draft

By ANDRE CHAMPAGNE, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

Flau’jae Johnson’s “welcome to the WNBA” moment came just about 30 minutes after she was selected eighth overall by the Golden State Valkyries.

Before the 17th pick of the night was announced, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert took the podium to reveal a trade. Just over 30 minutes later – and after a phone call – the Valkyries dealt Johnson to the Seattle Storm in exchange for the draft rights to TCU’s Marta Suarez and a 2028 second-round pick.

Breaking: Seattle Storm trade rights to Marta Suarez (P.16) and its 2028 2nd round pick to Golden State Valkyries for the draft rights to Flau'jae Johnson (P.8). #WNBA #Flaujae @Flaujae https://t.co/TyQYomammw pic.twitter.com/IcZzBt2SPl

— CHAMPSIDE (@theCHAMPSIDE) April 14, 2026

The move comes as a surprise, with sources telling Tiger Rag it was a “blindside.” Johnson had already conducted her introductory press conference on the WNBA YouTube page before the deal was finalized.

The Storm finished seventh in the league last season with a 23–21 record in 2025 and fell to the eventual WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces in the first round of the playoffs, 2–1.

And get your popcorn ready – Johnson’s first WNBA game will come against the team that drafted and traded her. The Storm will face the Valkyries on Friday, May 8, at 9 p.m.

Get your 🍿 ready folks.

Flau’Jae Johnson’s first WNBA game will be against the team that selected her eighth overall and traded her 30 minutes after 👀

Mark your calendars for May 8th folks. pic.twitter.com/LeanRB8me9

— Andre Champagne (@andrechampagnee) April 14, 2026

The 5-foot-10 senior from Savannah, Georgia, averaged 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game for LSU this season. She also shot a career-high 39.3% from three-point range.

She is expected to take on a significant role in Seattle after veteran guard Skylar Diggins signed with the Chicago Sky in free agency earlier this month. Diggins, who led the team’s guards in scoring at 15.5 points per game, leaves a gap that Johnson could help fill as a young and exciting piece for the Storm’s future.