Ahead of the trade deadline last week, the Seattle Storm sent three-time WNBA champion Alysha Clark, backup guard Zia Cooke, and their own 2026 first-round pick to the Washington Mystics for All-Star guard Brittney Sykes.
To the surprise of many, the basketball world later learned that Clark requested to be traded.
When speaking with Mystics beat reporter Kareem Copeland, the former Sixth Woman of the Year said that things both sides saw for the 2025 season did not go to plan. At 38 years old with fewer playing days ahead of her than behind, she wished to have control over her career, which led to conversations that resulted in her being moved to the Mystics.
A contributing factor that also led to the trade request was verbal altercations in the Storm’s locker room with teammates over poor play, multiple league sources confirm to Off The Record.
These incidents did not always involve Clark, but the instances that did were mainly rooted in her lack of production, sources close to the situation told Off The Record.
The Storm’s coaching staff did little to nothing to address the ongoing issue, multiple league sources confirmed to Off The Record.
At the time of publication, the Storm has yet to respond to a request for comment.
Clark’s Production
After just seven games to start the season, Clark was benched in favor of guard Erica Wheeler after averaging 4.4 points on 45.8 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from deep on 1.7 attempts.
In Clark’s last eight games with the Storm, the veteran forward averaged one point and shot 22 percent from the field, while going 0-for-9 from three in 12.6 minutes off the bench. She went scoreless in six of her last eight appearances with the team.
When Clark signed a one-year, $185,000 deal in the offseason, it was a homecoming for her on several fronts. Drafted 17th overall in the 2010 draft, the 5’11” forward spent the first 10 seasons with the team and played a vital role on two of the franchise’s championship squads. After three seasons between the Washington Mystics and Las Vegas Aces, Clark was returning to the birthplace of her WNBA career.
"I'm really excited about coming back to Seattle, where it all started," Clark said in a statement to ESPN. "The organization that gave me a chance in this league. The fans that embraced me from Day 1. The city that holds so many memories for me and my family. I can't wait to get on the court with my teammates and get to work. Seattle, WE'RE BAAAAAACK."
Her return to the Storm could not have been further from what was expected from both sides. In the 20 games Clark played after coming off the bench, she averaged 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 34.8 percent from the field and 25.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Jewell Loyd/Coaching Staff Debacle
This is not the first time that Seattle’s coaching staff has been at the center of dysfunction relating to a player’s production in the last two seasons.
Last season, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Storm’s coaching staff was under investigation for alleged player mistreatment. One league source told the Sun-Times that the investigation was sparked by multiple players’ experiences on the team.
ESPN later confirmed that former franchise star Jewell Loyd filed a complaint with the league concerning allegations against the staff. According to the initial report, the team hired a law firm to delve into accusations of harassment and bullying by the coaches regarding player performance.
Less than a month later, the Storm announced that an external investigation into the allegations concluded without discovering any violations.
"The Storm recently received internal allegations of potential workplace policy violations," read a statement provided to ESPN. "The organization retained an outside investigator to conduct an impartial investigation into the allegations. The investigation has been completed and there were no findings of policy violations or any discrimination, harassment, or bullying.
"To protect the integrity of the process, and to preserve confidentiality, we chose not to comment while the investigation was ongoing. The Storm will continue to provide a work environment in which all individuals are treated with respect."
As a result, Loyd requested a trade out of Seattle and was eventually dealt to the Aces in a three-team trade that garnered the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, which was used to draft French phenom Dominique Malonga.
Storm/Aces Cursing Allegation
In the days following the Storm’s 75-70 loss to the Aces at Climate Pledge Arena in early June, Khristina Williams of iHeart Women’s Sports reported that the WNBA was reviewing a complaint from a former Storm player alleging that a Storm assistant coach cursed at them.
Loyd was the only player on the Aces to have recently played for the Storm.
Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports later confirmed that an allegation was made that a Storm assistant coach cursed at a former Storm player on Las Vegas’ roster, and after the league reviewed the complaint, no fines or suspensions were expected.
This is a developing story.