The trade that sent Flau'jae Johnson from the Golden State Valkyries to the Seattle Storm on WNBA draft night was a pre-arranged deal, not a last-minute decision. Commissioner Cathy Englebert's announcement caused audible shock in the draft room after the Valkyries selected the LSU star at No. 8.
Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin initially refused to explain the logic of trading Johnson for two future second-round picks. Hours later, she revealed to ESPN that the trade framework was agreed upon with Seattle before the draft, regardless of which player was available at the pick.
The league's rules required the teams to make their selections first before officially completing the pre-arranged swap. This left Golden State in a bind when the highly-touted Johnson fell to them, forcing them to choose between keeping the player or honoring their prior agreement.
The Valkyries chose to maintain their credibility, executing a trade that appears lopsided. The incident has raised questions about the WNBA's trade rules and the expansion team's long-term strategy.