Storm use core designation on 3-time All-Star Loyd

The Seattle Storm extended the core player qualifying offer to three-time All-Star guard Jewell Loyd, the team announced ahead of Friday's deadline.

The Storm now have exclusive negotiating rights with Loyd; barring a holdout, the 28-year-old can either sign the offer sheet - a one-year, $228,094 super-max deal - or sign a longer-term extension.

The Storm could also trade Loyd. They did so with center Natasha Howard after extending her the core designation, trading her to the New York Liberty last offseason. That transaction netted Seattle the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft and a 2022 second-round pick; the first overall selection was then rerouted to the Dallas Wings for Katie Lou Samuelson and another second-round pick in 2022.

Loyd averaged a career-best 17.9 points with 4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in 2021. The Notre Dame product also earned her first trip to the Olympics, winning gold as a member of the U.S. women's national team in Tokyo this summer.