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Seattle Storm and forward Gabby Williams have agreed to rest-of-season contracts, the team announced Tuesday. The deal comes after Williams led the French national team in points (15.5) and assists (2.3) en route to a silver medal at the Paris Olympics and nearly defeated the Americans.
Williams, 27, played a career-low 10 games for the Storm last season, but her 8.4 points and 3.8 assists are career bests. The UConn product was selected with the No. 4 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Chicago Sky, where she spent the first three seasons of her career.
“I am so excited to be staying with the Storm for the remainder of the season,” Williams said in a statement. “I feel more than ready to finally return to Seattle. I have missed the organization, my teammates and the fans so much. I absolutely cannot wait to come back and finish the season strong.”
⛈️ GUESS WHO’S BACK ⛈️
Welcome home, @gabbywilliams15! 💚💛
📰 photo.twitter.com/CJrlm8bqnb
— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) August 20, 2024
Seattle coach Noelle Quinn appears equally excited to have Williams back with the Storm.
“We are very excited to have Gabby back with the Storm,” Quinn said. “Gabby is a dynamic player who is extremely versatile. She is a two-way player who can defend multiple positions and has a strong attacking game; given her familiarity with our system, we know she can make an immediate impact.
“Gabby’s Olympic performances showcased her world-class talent and we are excited to have her join us as we battle for the playoffs.”
Why is this happening now?
Seattle has been carefully hoarding cap space over the past month or so, keeping a 10-man full-time roster while Kiana Williams cycles through a series of seven-day contracts. That gives the Storm just enough cap space today to sign Williams to a pro-rated veterans-minimum deal for the remainder of the season.
If Williams had opted not to return to Seattle, the Storm would have had the opportunity to seek an upgrade via trade before the WNBA trade deadline on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET.
What Williams brings to Storm
Williams played an excellent tournament at the Olympic Games in Paris and shone in the European tournament, but in Seattle she will take on a different role.
With Skylar Diggins-Smith at point, Williams will have to play more off the ball. Spacing could get complicated for a career 24.8 percent 3-point shooter on a team that’s already the league’s worst from long range.
It’s unclear if she’ll even start, as the Storm’s starting five of Diggins-Smith, Jewell Loyd, Jordan Horston, Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor is outscoring opponents by 12.5 points per 100 possessions. What Williams does bring, whether she starts or comes off the bench, is additional creation paired with dynamite perimeter defense.
She was an all-defense selection with a 2.13 assist-to-turnover ratio in her last full WNBA season in 2022, as Seattle lost to eventual champion Las Vegas in the postseason semifinals. The Storm will need better shooting from Loyd and Sami Whitcomb to keep Williams on the court, but there’s little risk in bringing her in at this point in the season when the player she’s replacing wasn’t part of the rotation.
Williams knows Loyd, Magbegor and Quinn well and feels comfortable on the biggest stages.
Required reading
(Photo: Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
