The Seattle Storm have added guard Taylor Thierry to a development player deal, joining a roster that already features rookie Taina Mair as a developmental player. Thierry, an Ohio State product and a 2025 WNBA draftee, brings defensive chops and efficient shooting to a Storm squad trying to find consistency early in the season in Seattle.
Taylor Thierry signed with the Storm as a development player after being taken No. 36 overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream and appearing in 17 league games last season. At Ohio State she finished fifth in program history in field goal percentage at 59.7 percent and ranked 10th in steals with 234, earning All-Big Ten Second Team honors in both 2023 and 2024. Thierry also made the All-Big Ten Defensive Team in 2023 and 2025 and was a 2025 Naismith Defensive Player of the Year semifinalist, which signals a player ready to compete on the defensive end right away.
Taina Mair is the other development player on the roster, a 2026 draftee who drew attention after strong showings at Duke and Boston College. Picked 14th in the 2026 draft, Mair was the ACC Tournament MVP and averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game in that run. She spent time with the Storm during preseason action, which gave the coaching staff a close look at how her playmaking and defensive instincts might translate to the pro level.
Lockdown Defender 🔥@OhioStateWBB’s Taylor Thierry has been a force on defense all season long—As a semifinalist for our Naismith Women’s DPOY presented by @moleculesleep, she’s proven why she’s one of the toughest defenders out there‼️
Thierry’s hustle has earned her 231… pic.twitter.com/HPHgrgvB6r
— Naismith Awards (@NaismithTrophy) March 16, 2025
The Storm have started the year 1-2, knocking off the Connecticut Sun while falling to the Golden State Valkyries and the Toronto Tempo. Seattle’s young core and roster mix have produced some bright spots; Dominique Malonga has been a steady scorer at 16 points per game while pulling down 7.3 rebounds. Jade Melbourne is contributing as a primary ball handler, averaging 14 points and five assists, and Flau’jae Johnson has chipped in with 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Veteran presence comes from Stefanie Dolson, who has been reliable around the rim with about 9.3 points and four rebounds per contest, providing a foundation while the younger pieces develop. Thierry and Mair won’t be expected to carry heavy minutes immediately, but their practice reps and availability give the Storm more tactical flexibility. Development players are valuable in training, scouting reports say, because they participate fully in team activities and can slot into games when needed.
This season marks the WNBA’s first campaign with development player contracts, a new pathway intended for players with fewer than three years of professional experience. Those players take part in everything the team does and receive a $750 weekly stipend while on the roster, with activation allowed for up to 12 games in a season. When a development player is activated, they receive a pro-rated game salary of roughly $6,000 and still have the chance to be upgraded to a standard contract if they earn a permanent role.
The initial pool of development players already includes names like Maddy Westbeld of the Chicago Sky and Kate Martin of the Los Angeles Sparks, both of whom spent time on standard deals last season before finding themselves in this new category. Teams around the league are using these spots differently; some clubs are loading up their practice floors with younger players, while others are still leaving development slots open for late-season signings or injury insurance. As the regular season progresses, those little decisions about who gets a shot could mean the difference between depth and disaster.
For Seattle, Thierry’s signing is a low-risk, potentially high-reward move. She brings elite finishing efficiency from college and a defensive pedigree that fits the Storm’s identity, and Mair’s playmaking adds another wrinkle to Seattle’s backcourt rotation. Both players will get their chance to press their case in practice and in any game time that comes their way as the Storm push toward a more consistent stretch of play.
