Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin speaks during a press conference following the WNBA Draft at Chase Center in San Francisco, on Monday, April 14, 2025.

Golden State Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin was bound to make headlines for the first trade in franchise history on Monday night. But she may have found a way to top the questionable trade with a bizarre press conference.

Nyanin spoke to the media after the WNBA Draft, when the Valkyries had the No. 8 pick in the draft and initially appeared to take LSU wing Flau’jae Johnson. The move excited Valkyries fans, both because Johnson was a standout defender and good 3-point shooter in college and because she gained immense popularity in college for her budding rap career.

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But around an hour after selecting Johnson, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert announced a trade that stunned folks both online and in the New York City audience: The Valkyries traded the rights to Johnson to the Seattle Storm for the rights to Marta Suarez, the player Seattle had taken with the first pick of the second round at No. 16 overall, as well as a 2028 second-round pick.

The deal was met with immediate uproar from Valkyries fans, who posted their shock on social media, particularly in the team’s comment sections.........

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