LSU WBB's Flau'jae Johnson Traded in Stunning Move, Rookie Contract Details Revealed

In a draft-night stunner, LSU Tigers All-American guard Flau’jae Johnson is heading to the Pacific Northwest after a whirlwind sequence that saw her selected eighth overall by the expansion Golden State Valkyries and immediately flipped to the Seattle Storm. The trade, consummated minutes after her name was called at Monday’s 2026 WNBA Draft, sends the Peach State native west on a four-year rookie contract worth just under $1.4 million, according to details confirmed Tuesday.

Johnson, who started all 35 games for LSU during the 2025-26 campaign, leaves Baton Rouge with 2,014 career points—one of only 14 active Division I players to reach the milestone—while averaging 14.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game this season. She scored in double figures 27 times, cracked the 20-point barrier on nine occasions and earned Third-Team All-America honors from both the Associated Press and USBWA en route to finalist status for the Ann Meyers Drysdale Award.

“She got a championship her freshman year. She was Freshman of the Year in the SEC,” LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said this past season. “She has two careers that she’s doing every day of her life. Wakes up at 5:00. She spent four years at the same institution… She helped us win many ball games. And she also won a championship.”

Under the league’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement, Johnson’s deal escalates annually: $309,622 in Year 1, climbing to $400,255 by the 2029 season. The structure reflects the enhanced earning power now available to WNBA rookies and positions the 5-10 guard as a cornerstone piece for a Storm franchise reloading around its youthful core.

Johnson’s arrival in Seattle caps a rare four-year collegiate tenure that began as Mulkey’s first McDonald’s All-American signee in Baton Rouge and concluded with a national title, SEC Freshman of the Year laurels, First-Team All-SEC recognition and now a top-ten draft selection. She will report to Seattle training camp later this spring, bringing both scoring punch and defensive tenacity to a backcourt eager to return to championship contention.