The Seattle Storm came into the 2024 WNBA season hoping to be a title contender with their free agent acquisitions of Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith. So far, the Storm have been one of the better teams in the WNBA after a slow start to the season. Following the Olympics, the Storm have been one of the teams linked to French star Gabby Williams. Whether or not that materializes, the Storm opted to release Kiana Williams from their roster from her 7-day contract as per Underdog WNBA.

Kiana Williams' release from the Storm roster does not necessarily mean that a Gabby Williams move is forthcoming. Gabby does have familiarity having played the past two seasons for the Storm, but the team would need to make additional salary moves to accommodate her.

The release also doesn't necessarily close the door on Kiana's time with the Storm. It's possible that the Storm could opt to bring her back on another 7-day contract as speculated by Christan Braswell of Circling Seattle Sports. Williams has already signed two 7-day contracts with the Storm so a third one would be her final one she is eligible to sign before the team has to keep her for the remainder of the season or cut her.

Kiana Williams looking for WNBA stability with Storm

Seattle Storm guard Kiana Williams (23) dribbles the ball against the New York Liberty at Climate Pledge Arena.
Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

Kiana Williams has played the majority of her four-year WNBA career with the Storm. She was originally drafted by the franchise with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft. While she made the Storm's regular season roster as a rookie, she was ultimately waived later in the season.

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She split the 2022 season between the Storm and the Connecticut Sun after being cut by the Phoenix Mercury in training camp. She was in camp with the Minnesota Lynx in 2023 but did not make it to the start of the regular season and did not play for any other team that year.

This season, Kiana returned to the Storm in camp and made the opening night roster. She was cut by the deadline when all WNBA contracts became guaranteed and then re-signed to a 7-day contract. She's appeared in 13 games for the Storm this season at a little over three minutes per game. She's had three different games this season when she scored off a three-point shot. The most recent game she played in was back before the Olympic break on July 14 against the Atlanta Dream when she registered two rebounds and two asssists.

Prior to the WNBA, Kiana was a star at Stanford. She made the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team in 2018 followed by three consecutive All-Pac-12 First Team selections. She was also named the 2021 Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player.