Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin declines to speak on Golden State’s draft trade strategy

The Golden State Valkyries did not have much of an explanation as to why they dropped the biggest shocker from the 2026 WNBA Draft.

Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin talked little about the front office’s strategy behind the trade after shipping the draft rights to eighth overall pick Flau’Jae Johnson to the Seattle Storm for TCU forward Marta Suarez, who was selected by Seattle with the 16th pick, and a 2028 second-rounder.

“I think I’m going to take a beat to be able to eloquently give a response,” Nyanin said when first asked about their reasoning for trading back eight spots into the second round, instead choosing to talk at a distance about the meetings they had with all three of their 2026 draft picks. 

“I don’t have a lot of detail to share. One, because I’m exhausted. Two, because I want to be very thoughtful when I’m talking about other humans and their basketball abilities and how they would or would not show up for our squad. And what I can say is, even through all of this exhaustion, I’m extremely excited about all of the athletes that we’ve signed or about to sign.”

Then, a question later, when asked whether the trade had to do with salary-cap implications, Nynain politely declined to answer the question outright. When asked more pointedly what factored into their decision to move off of Johnson, this is what Nyanin had to say: “I think that’s a question that has been asked and answered. I would just say that when I’m ready to speak more about what the strategy is behind it. I’ll speak on it. I’ll also say I don’t really speak about my strategy ever publicly, because all other teams are watching to see what our strategy is.”

Why the Valkyries traded away Flau’Jae Johnson

A reporter asked one more question regarding the draft day trade: if the Valkyries considered taking Suarez outright with their first pick instead of trading back. Nyanin once again declined to comment, finishing the presser with little to no official explanation from the Valkyries.

As such, the Valkyries did not present an explanation or an answer as to why they decided to make this trade, a trade that has some holes in it from multiple standpoints.

From a value standpoint, Golden State essentially traded a first-round pick just outside the lottery for two second-round picks, pick 16 in this year’s draft, and another in 2028. But given the hit-or-miss nature of second-rounders in the WNBA, the Valkyries may end up not extracting much value from this trade. Look no further than last season, when they cut their second-rounder, Shyanne Sellers, before training camp.

And from a fit standpoint, Johnson looked poised to fill Golden State’s needs. Her shooting abilities would have easily made her one of Golden State’s best floor spacers. Not to mention how her perimeter defense would have quickly made her one of Natalie Nakase’s favorites.

Marta Suárez’s fit in Golden State

The swirling opinion about trading Johnson doesn’t mean Suárez isn’t a promising prospect, too. Suárez averaged a career-high 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds in her final season in college, relying on her innate offensive feel, high IQ, and shooting to climb up the draft boards.

And after losing center Monique Billings in free agency, Suarez offers Golden State a much-needed body in the frontcourt, with the added bonus of being a stretch big who can space the floor.

The one impression reporters did get from the Valkyries on this trade is that they really liked Suárez, which likely drove them to make this trade.

“Marta is fierce. She’s fearless,” Nyanin said. “We have looked at her for a really long time. What I would say is– her potential is really high… I think she has a very high basketball IQ. Her high character is off the charts.”

So in that sense, Nyanin and the team seemed to be drawn to Suárez’s strong character and valued her personality as fit with this roster of mostly returning players.

Unfortunately, one can only make assumptions about why Nyanin and the Valkyries decided to trade back because of how little she decided to share. It’s too early to make judgments on this trade, especially when none of the players involved have played yet. But the lack of an explanation and not addressing some of the issues with the trade valuation leaves the Valkyries open to speculation and criticism.

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