Storm comply with Li Yueru's trade request, send center to Wings

Percy Allen, The Seattle Times on Jun 14, 2025

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SEATTLE — Ten days after Li Yueru’s trade request, the Storm sent her to the Dallas Wings in exchange for a 2026 second-round and 2027 third-round draft pick on Saturday.

Li, a 6-foot-7 center and third-year veteran from Changzhi, Shanxi, China, was unhappy with her backup role in Seattle, where she appeared in nine of 11 games while averaging 2.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 8.4 minutes.

“I just want to play,” the 26-year-old said last week. “I came to America only for one reason, to play basketball. This team is really perfect. (This) is the best team I’ve ever (been on). … Here, we have the best post player in the world and we have four post players, and I don’t feel I have enough time on the court.

“I’m really happy and appreciate … many different teammates I make many new friends, and know many different staff and coach. They really let me feel happy, and I’m so glad for that. But you know, playing is really important and almost like one of the important things for me.”

Li logged a season-high 22 1/2 minutes in a season-opening 81-59 loss at Phoenix. Immediately following her trade request, she tallied just 5 1/2 minutes and two points on June 7 against the Mercury.

And Li was the only Storm player who did not play in their 94-84 win against the Minnesota Lynx on Wednesday.

Trading Li reduces Seattle’s roster to just 10 players, including Katie Lou Samuelson, who is out for the season due to a knee injury.

WNBA teams must have 11-12 players on the roster and in accordance to league rules, the Storm have three days to add another player.

Seattle was $25,000 below the WNBA’s $1.5 million salary cap at the start of the season and it will have the remainder of Li’s $66,079 salary to use on another player, per Her Hoop Stats.

The Storm start Skylar Diggins, Gabby Williams and Erica Wheeler at guards, Nneka Ogwumike at forward and Ezi Magbegor at center. Seattle’s reserves include forward Alysha Clark, center Dominique Malonga and guards Zia Cooke and Lexie Brown.

It remains to be seen how the Storm will replace Li.

Malonga is averaging 4.8 points on 60% shooting and 2.2 rebounds, and her quick ascension could negate the need to add another post player.

Seattle could supplement its thin depth at the wing position after losing Samuelson and fellow small forward Jordan Horston to preseason knee injuries.

“In this league, you have to pivot, and our pivot has been big,” coach Noelle Quinn said. “You think about Lou’s injury and going back to Jordan Horston’s injury and Nika (Muhl’s) injury. And how the draft shook out. Who we got and who we drafted.

“We’ve pivoted a lot.”

In February, the Storm complied with Jewell Loyd’s trade demand and shipped the six-time All-Star to Las Vegas in a three-team trade that brought Li to Seattle. The Storm also received first-round picks in 2025, which was used to select Malonga, and 2026.

The Storm are starting a three-game road trip and it’s unlikely they sign anyone before Saturday’s 7 p.m. matchup and their first-ever game against the expansion Golden State Valkyries.

However, Seattle will need to add a player before Tuesday’s game against the Los Angeles Sparks.