Seattle Storm were one of the undisputed winners of the 2026 draft. They had the No. 2 pick and snapped up Spanish talent Awa Fam. Then came the most shocking trade of the draft: the Valkyries traded up their No. 8 spot to the Storm for the No. 16 overall pick and a 2028 second-round pick to the Storm and chose Johnson, the dynamic LSU combo guard. They picked Taina Mair at No. 14 but the Duke standout was waived before the season began. 

Taina Mair was the first draft pick for the Blue Devils since Leonna Odom was picked up in the second round in 2020. Mair was also the highest-picked Duke women’s player since the Connecticut Sun drafted Lexie Brown in 2018. Mair was picked up on the back of an impressive season in which she averaged 11.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while picking up All-ACC First Team and All-Defensive Team honors. But unfortunately, Sonia Raman and Co. have let Mair go for the time being. 

“The Seattle Storm have waived drafted point guard Taina Mair,” pointed out the IX Basketball reporter Bella Valeriano Munson. Mair was arguably the only miss on an otherwise perfect draft as many scouts and analysts pointed out that she could have been available if the Storm wanted her later on as they missed on Gianna Kneepkens, who could have been a better pick. 

“Taking Mair at No. 14 was one of the biggest surprises of the night,” Hunter Cruse of Bleacher Report said. “It feels like it’s overindexing on her ACC tournament and March Madness performance rather than the full body of work. Players like Kneepkens or Latson would have made more sense in this spot.” SI analyst Elaine Blum pointed out the same. 

“Hearing Taina Mair’s name called in the first round was a surprise and drags down the overall grade a bit,” Blum wrote. Now that the Storm has waived Mair, that criticism earns more legs. That’s not a knock on Mair, as she is a solid guard and showed it in the preseason games. She had 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Fire while chipping in with 2 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists against the Valkyries. 

But the team already had Natisha Hiedeman, Jade Melbourne and even Lexie Brown to fill their point guard spot, which left Mair fighting an uphill battle. But there is still hope for the Duke guard. 

Taina Mair Could Get A  Developmental Spot Courtesy Of One Skill 

One of the great things of the new CBA is the uptick in roster spots. The teams are required to carry 12 players at all times, with 2 developmental spots that do not count towards the salary cap. In case of any injury or roster absence, a team could bring in the players at the developmental spots. Or if not, the players earn an experience at the top level that could translate into a spot in the future. And Taina Mair might be the perfect candidate for Storm. 

Mair is a scrappy guard that can potentially be an elite defender and her passing is great as well. However, Sonia Raman is looking to play a positionless brand of basketball. Mair is used to playing as the hub and the creator but Raman is not looking for one. 

That could be one of the reasons she does not fit in the 12. But the talent is present. There must have been a reason they picked her at No. 14 over other talented guards. One aspect of hers separated Mair from others, which could help her retain a place in the WNBA. 

“Her tenacity, the grit. She starts it on the defensive end. She never takes a play off, picking up full court and pressuring. We never have to remind her to stay up. She’s up and trying to set the tone defensively,” Raman said after the Portland game. “On the offensive side, her unselfishness, the assists, the playmaking. She’s still learning the system and where everybody is going to be.”

Mair echoed the same. She claimed that her motor should translate from college, as she is not going to let the effort drop. “Probably my effort on both ends of the floor,” Mair said. “Just being able to pick up defense, picking up full court, going for offensive rebounds, and just making all the effort plays.” She has shown that she can drastically improve at Duke and Storm could want to continue developing her under their wing.