Storm acquires Katie Lou Samuelson, Mikiah “Kiki” Herbert Harrigan; Rights to Stephanie Talbot and two 2022 draft picks 

Seattle sends Natasha Howard and Sami Whitcomb to New York  

SEATTLE, Wash. — The Seattle Storm acquired Katie Lou Samuelson from the Dallas Wings and Mikiah “Kiki” Herbert Harrigan from the Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday in trades following a move to send Natasha Howard to New York. The Storm also received Dallas and New York’s 2022 second-round picks. Additionally, Sami Whitcomb was traded to New York in exchange for player rights to Stephanie Talbot.

The Storm sent Howard to New York in exchange for the 2021 No. 1 pick, Phoenix’s 2022 first-round pick and New York’s 2022 second-round pick. The 2022 first-round pick (PHX) was sent to Minnesota for Mikiah Herbert-Harrigan and the 2021 No. 1 pick was sent to Dallas for Katie Lou Samuelson and Dallas’ own 2022 second-round pick. Sami Whitcomb was traded to New York in a sign and trade for the rights to Stephanie Talbot.

Samuelson was selected No. 4 overall by the Chicago Sky in 2019 and was traded to Dallas the following season. In Dallas, she played all 22 games of the 2020 season, averaging 20 minutes a game and shooting 41.7% from the field.

Samuelson played college basketball at the University of Connecticut, where she played her freshman season alongside Breanna Stewart. She was twice named AAC Player of the Year (2017, 2018), and was the tenth UConn player to reach 2000 points in her career. In high school, she was named National Player of the Year by Gatorade, USA Today, McDonald’s, and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.

Samuelson is currently playing in Spain for Perfumerìas Avenida. She is averaging 18.8 points and 5.2 rebounds per game in Euroleague play.

Herbert Harrigan was selected No. 6 overall in the 2020 WNBA draft out of South Carolina. She had a strong rookie campaign, playing all but one game and shooting 42.4% from beyond the arc On Aug. 15 she scored a season-high 11 points, shooting 5-for-6 from the field in just 11 minutes against the New York Liberty.

At South Carolina, Herbert Harrigan was one of three Gamecocks to finish her career with 1,000 points and 200 blocks, alongside A’ja Wilson and Alaina Coates. She finished second in blocked shots in school history. Herbert Harrigan was named SEC Tournament MVP in her senior season and was given the nickname “Mad Kiki” for her intensity and defensive prowess

Herbert Harrigan mostly recently played 19 games for Kayseri Basketbol in the Turkish Women’s Basketball League during the 2020-21 season. She averaged 13.0 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

Talbot began her WNBA career with the Phoenix Mercury, spending two seasons there before she was traded to the Minnesota Lynx in 2019. In her three years in the league, Talbot has shot 40% from the floor and averaged 16 minutes per game. She shot a career-high 46.4% from the field in 2018.

In 2020, Talbot, an Australian national, was traded to the New York Liberty but opted to remain overseas with the Adelaide Lightning of the WNBL, where she averaged 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She was named WNBL MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and received All-WNBL First Team honors.

—StormBasketball.com—