FanPost

How does the Storm fare in their trade for more draft picks and Renee Montgomery?

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

The Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun finalized a trade Wednesday that sends Storm forwards Camille Little and Shekinna Stricklen to the Sun in exchange for guard Renee Montgomery and the 3rd and 15th picks in the upcoming draft.

For the Sun, the trade bolsters their front court which was dangerously thin due to the loss to injury of reigning rookie of the year Chiney Ogwumike. The addition of Little insures that Connecticut will still have legitimate depth down low. What’s more, that depth comes in the form of a true stretch four who has experience as a starter on a championship team.

Stricklen brings to the Sun a remarkable outside shot along with a very rare combination of size (6’ 2" at the guard-forward position) and athleticism matched by few in the WNBA. The acquisition of these two players, Little in her prime and Stricklen entering hers, shows that the Sun want to win NOW. With their roster as it stands, plus the addition of whomever they select with the 4th pick, the Sun are poised to make a run at the post season this year and could even be a Finals contender out of the east when Ogwumike returns in 2016

The trade from a Seattle perspective is much more complex. The Storm had already stated their desire to rebuild and rebrand themselves moving forward and this trade definitely shows they are committed to doing so. Trading away the young, up and coming talent of Stricklen along with fan favorite and champion Little in exchange for draft picks shows that the upcoming season will be a painful one to watch for Storm fans who are accustomed to winning.

That said, adding the 3rd and 15th picks in the draft, even in a perceived to be weak draft, is a very solid move. It gives a team in the midst of rebuilding the flexibility it needs to add youth and new talent to its roster. It also frees up roster space for potential free agents and provides extra tradable assets for the future.

Speaking of tradable assets, that is what Renee Montgomery is. An above average player who has been an all star and 6th woman of the year already in her career, Montgomery has been brought in to add scoring and bring youth to the Storm’s past-its-prime backcourt. That being said, despite how capable Montgomery is, if she was truly a player a team could build around and compete for titles with Connecticut would never have traded her.

New Storm coach Jenny Boucek’s offensive system is based extensively on her experience with the Sacramento Monarchs and her time spent learning from Rick Carlisle of the Dallas Mavericks. Both teams were based on fast-tempo, attacking offensives with great perimeter shooting. These are both strengths of Montgomery and as such she should thrive. As of now the Storms scoring will be coming from Montgomery and Crystal Langhorne meaning both player should see their numbers increase and, along with them, their trade values heading towards the incredibly deep 2016 draft.

On the subject of the 2016 draft, it is now clear Seattle intends to do whatever it can to win the number one pick and trade to secure multiple top five picks as well. The Storm’s roster currently has nobody signed at the shooting guard spot and with the trade of Stricklen, the small forward position only features defensive specialist Alysha Clark and three point sniper Jenna O’Hea. Neither of whom are legitimate starters. This means the Storm has possibly the weakest roster in the entire WNBA. A sure sign that they intend to develop the new talent they draft this year, but also a sign that they intend to lose a lot of games in order to gain the best possible draft position in 2016.

For the 2015 draft, the Storm now have multiple options at their disposal. It is almost certain that they will select two of the following five players in the first round: Elizabeth Williams, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Reshanda Gray, Isabelle Harrison or Brittany Boyd. Each player fills a need that Storm desperately need filled. Boyd being an ideal choice to become Sue Bird’s successor as floor general, Mosqueda-Lewis would replace the perimeter scoring that Stricklen delivered. Harrison, Williams and Gray would all provide much needed post play and size down low. Each in their own ways.

As Seattle begins its rebuild in ernest, the long term future of the franchise looks to be very bright. The influx of new coaching, management and players will definitely lead to exciting basketball and a return to championship form. In the short term, however, the skies over Key Arena look to be very dark. The Storm wont win many games next season, but they should win big in the next draft, and will probably do so again in 2017. If you are a Storm fan watching your team struggle to win this summer, just close your eyes and imagine a team with Breanna Stewart and Kelsey Plum playing together. It could happen. So hold tight for the next season or two. The Storm is coming.