On Wednesday night, reports came out that Seattle Storm star guard Jewell Loyd has requested a trade after spending her entire 10-year career thus far in the Pacific Northwest. Loyd was an instrumental part of two championship-winning teams, and the Storm were even on the upswing last season, posting an impressive bounce-back 25-15 record after missing the playoffs entirely in 2023.

Thus, for Loyd to request a trade from the Storm is a major deal, and her decision to do so comes as a response to the results of an external investigation regarding alleged harassment and bullying by the coaching staff that concluded without finding any violations, as per Annie Costabile of the Chicago Sun Times.

It has now come to light that it was Loyd who filed the complaint regarding the Storm coaching staff's alleged misdeeds, according to the sources of ESPN's Alexa Philippou. This explains why she is now angling for a move away from the team in light of the results of the recently concluded investigation.

It does look like this is the end of Loyd's storied tenure with the Storm franchise, and what a sad way it is to go for someone everyone will consider a franchise legend. She made the All-Star team six times with Seattle, averaging 16.9 points. 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while being one of their most consistent players on a game-per-game basis.

She was the star player who stayed with the Storm following the 2022 season, and she reaffirmed her commitment to the team by signing an extension in the aftermath of Breanna Stewart's departure for the New York Liberty and Sue Bird's retirement.

Loyd should draw plenty of interest on the trade market, especially for teams that are in need of a major boost in talent in the backcourt.

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Jewell Loyd's storied Storm stint is coming to an end

It's not quite clear what kind of harassment and bullying was going on behind the scenes from the Storm coaching staff towards the players. But evidently, these were serious enough for Loyd to file a complaint, especially when “the investigation was sparked by the experience of multiple players”, as per Philippou's report.

It is also rather odd that Loyd, among others, was experiencing this kind of treatment when the Storm's head coach is a former teammate of hers in Noelle Quinn. But at the very least, a new chapter is waiting ahead for the 31-year-old guard as she looks to put this saga in the rearview mirror.