Remember those projections about the Storm selecting Notre Dame star Olivia Miles with the No. 2 pick in the WNBA draft?
Well, forget about all of that.
In a stunning development, the 22-year-old Miles will forgo the draft and enter the NCAA transfer portal, according to a report from ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Rather than run it back with the Fighting Irish, who finished 28-6 and were eliminated in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 for the fourth straight year, or turn pro, the 5-foot-10 senior guard surprised many by looking for a new team in the collegiate ranks.
She has an extra year of eligibility after the missing the 2023-24 season due to a torn ACL injury.
There are no guarantees in the draft, but Miles has been linked to the Storm for months and was widely considered the second-highest-rated prospect behind Connecticut Huskies star Paige Bueckers.
During a breakout season, Miles averaged 15.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.6 turnovers while shooting 48.8% from the field, 40.1% on three-pointers and 78.6% on free throws.
It wouldn’t have been a perfect fit, but many believed Miles would have filled a gaping void in the Storm’s lineup created when they acquiesced to All-Star guard Jewell Loyd’s trade demands.
“I love college. I think I’ve outgrown it,” Miles told reporters on Saturday after her last game with the Irish. “That kind of makes my decision tougher to stay.
“… Lottery pick is a lot to give up. I worked hard for that. I earned that. I truly believe I put myself in a great position for teams to look at me at that level. It’s hard to give that up.”
Perhaps the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement played a role in Miles’ decision. The players union is opting out of the current CBA and negotiating with the league on a deal that’s expected to substantially raise salaries.
According to Her Hoop Stats, lottery picks in 2025 will make $78,831 as rookies and $348,198 over the course of their four-year deal.
Next year, the rookie scale for lottery picks is expected to start in the low six figures and could net a lottery pick a four-year deal worth nearly $500,000 under the new CBA.
Miles, who is expected to be the top prospect in the portal, will likely receive a lucrative name, image and likeness deal from her new college team.
“With NIL in place, there are opportunities to make money elsewhere,” ESPN analyst Andraya Carter said. “And if you want to explore some of those options, she could have a lot of options.”
It’s immediately unclear what Plan B looks like for Seattle, which has draft picks at Nos. 2, 21, 29 and 34.
WNBA draft prospects must renounce their remaining college eligibility before Friday’s deadline. Players participating in the Final Four have 48 hours after their last game to declare for the April 14 draft.
Aside from Bueckers, the top guard prospects — assuming they enter the draft — are believed to be Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron, Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore, LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson and TCU’s Hailey Van Lith, the Wenatchee native.
The Storm don’t have an immediate need in the frontcourt considering All-Star Nneka Ogwumike and rising star Ezi Magbegor are on the roster on one-year deals.
However, Seattle will likely take a long look at USC forward Kiki Iriafen and French center Dominique Malonga, who are projected lottery picks.
