SEATTLE — In a move to bolster their roster, the Seattle Storm has traded center Li Yueru to the Dallas Wings, acquiring two future draft picks in the process.
Li, who is 26 years old, played a limited role during the season with the Storm, recording averages of 2.8 points and 1.6 rebounds over an average of 8.7 minutes across nine games. She joined the Seattle team in the last offseason via a complex three-team deal involving the Los Angeles Sparks and Las Vegas Aces.
Reports emerged a couple of weeks ago from iHeart Women’s Sports indicating that Li’s representatives had expressed her wish to be traded, and the Storm complied with this request by negotiating a trade with the Dallas Wings. In return, the Storm secured a second-round draft pick for the 2026 WNBA draft and a third-round pick for 2027.
The Dallas Wings faced an imperative need to strengthen their squad at the center position due to the absence of centers Teaira McCowan and Luisa Geiselsoder, who are currently committed to national team duties. Additionally, on the same day, the Wings waived guard/forward Kaila Charles, who had been contributing an average of 4.9 points and 3.5 rebounds across 11 games.
Currently, Dallas is navigating through a challenging period with a string of seven consecutive losses. Their latest setback was a narrow defeat to Las Vegas, where Dallas squandered an 11-point advantage in the final minutes, ending in an 88-84 loss on Friday night.