Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin didn’t have much to say about trading Flau’jae Johnson to Seattle for Marta Suarez and a 2028 second-round pick. In fact, she basically said nothing at all.

Nyanin did not take any questions about the trade, instead saying she would not answer anything to do with strategy. For the full context, the transcript of Monday night’s press conference is below.

Walk us through the reasoning behind the Flau'Jae-Marta swap, and if that was something that you guys had kind of planned, or a deal maybe in the works before going in or something that, after the selection of Flau'Jae, that kind of transpired then?

Yeah, no, it's a good question. I think I'm going to take a beat to be able to eloquently give a response. I think, you know, first and foremost, it's been a really interesting and very exciting five days since we were able to talk to athletes in general. So a combination of being able to talk to free agents and then college-eligible athletes as well. We had a lot of connections in those meetings, one of them being Marta Suarez and Kokoro Tanaka, who we picked in the third round, and we've watched Ashlyn Jackson from afar for a really long time. Coach Natalie Nakase was an assistant coach with the USA training camps over the past couple months prior to today, and so there was actually an opportunity for us to kind of see Ashlyn at Duke on Duke's campus as well.

So I don't have a lot of detail to share. One, because I'm exhausted. Two, because I want to be very thoughtful when I'm talking about other humans and their basketball abilities and how they would or would not show up for our squad. And what I can say is, even through all of this exhaustion, I'm extremely excited about all of the athletes that we've signed or about to sign.

More about the reason behind drafting Marta- What about her game your scouting on her made you comfortable enough to want to trade back and grab her?

Yeah, Marta is fierce. She's fearless. We have looked at her for a really long time. What I would say is her potential is really high. And as we're looking at our depth chart, looking at who we wanted to bring into camp, we really wanted a competitive camp for her game, more specifically what she's been able to do from Tennessee and then being at Cal, Berkeley for a year before then coming to TCU, she has the ability to be in different environments and excel at every moment.

I think she has a very high basketball IQ. Her high character is off the charts. And in terms of like her position and what we want to see in camp and how competitive we want to be, we felt like she would be a great fit.

Was this something that had to do with any salary cap implications in terms of trading out of the first round? Effectively, traded of Flau'Jae for two second-rounders, did that factor into anything?

I don't talk or comment about salary cap, so wouldn't be able to kind of answer the question in a way. So if you have a different question, I would happy be happy to answer that.

What factored into the decision to move off of Flau'Jae?

I think that's a question that has been asked and answered, and I would just say that when I'm ready to kind of speak more about what the strategy is behind it. I'll speak on it. I'll also say I don't really speak about my strategy ever publicly, because all other teams are watching to see what our strategy is.

What was your guiding principle behind these three selections? Were you looking for readiness, potential upside, or really digging into fit within this Nakase system that we've seen really prioritize as shooting and defense? And then how fluid was your board going into the start of tonight?

Yeah, great question. I think all of the above, to be quite honest, I think our team did a lot of work and research going into this draft day, and I work really closely with coach, Natalie, and so late last night, we were working together to talk about all the different scenarios that could happen and what we would do at each round. And we feel really good about it.

How much has gone into these past few days, with free agency coming up right against the draft like this. It's never really happened before. How difficult have these past few days been, just from a roster-building perspective?

Yeah. I mean, I appreciate the question. I think to be, you know, totally open and honest and vulnerable; I think the rest of my colleagues in the WNBA feel exactly the way that I feel as well. So I'm not going to complain. I think all of us had our different strategies and kind of coping to be able to get through today more specifically, and then there's, you know, training camp that starts on Sunday, so there's going to be a lot of movement, I would suspect, between now and opening night, which is on May 8.

And so for me, more specifically, we had a plan going in, and I think my energy levels, you know, generally, I'm smiling and, like, super excited about everything. And for those who've seen me in person or have been around, just to know that, like, it's taken a toll. So I'm very careful to say kind of like anything about, one, personally, how I'm doing, and two, about any of the athletes that have joined our team.

With the new player development spots that everyone gets on their roster. How did that impact or how you guys viewed that going into the free agency and into this draft period?

Yeah, we see it as a plus, honestly, to be able to have the opportunity to bring two athletes in and just have a roster of 14 people makes for a more competitive product, in our opinion, because we have individuals that will have understood the system have been practicing with us for an extended period of time. We'll build chemistry in the locker room with our athletes. We'll get to have, you know, all of the opportunities that our athletes would have. And so I think it's a great addition how we will use it, or how we will kind of strategize around it. I think, you know, we'll keep close to the vest, but we're just very excited about the opportunity to expand our roster in that way.

What does the Gabby Williams signing mean for this organization, given that she is the first star you guys have landed in free agency and how she picked you guys over other powerhouses like the Aces and the Lynx?

Gabby's a unique human. She is one of the highest character individuals that I've ever come across. Her deep roots to the Bay Area, and what she's been able to do to support globally, legitimizes, you know, kind of all the things that we are trying to put together to win. I'm extremely excited.

It still kind of doesn't seem real, and you know, it has hit the contract system, and I know that it's there, but I think when I see her in person, when I see her in a Valkyries uniform, then it I'll kind of like pinch myself to be like, wow. She's elite at what she does on court, and she's elite at what she does off court, for what she stands for. I'm like, super excited about the opportunity to see how the community will love her and how she will, you know, just come home. So it's a really, really, really, really good sign that this is the place to be. And we hope that more athletes will give us a chance moving forward.

What does Juste Jocyte's timeline look like for her with playing overseas with her team in Spain, and what do you kind of expect from her as she comes over and has to sort of do like what all these other three draft picks you had from tonight have to do?

Yeah, good question. Still working through when she's going to be able to come through and all of that. So what I would just say is like, we're really excited about having her. We're watching her closely. We're in close communication and stuff, so we want to get her ready remotely as much as we can, and then when she arrives, then we'll make decisions. And really excited to have the opportunity to see the number four jersey and violet.

Your staff's interest in Marta throughout the pre draft process, is she a player that you guys consider taking out right with your first pick?

Yeah, I think that's still a strategy question. So happy to answer another question if you have another one but will not comment.