Gabby Williams, who averaged a career-high 10.3 points last season, was designated as the Storm's core player and will not become an unrestricted free agent.

Gabby Williams will reportedly not become an unrestricted free agent, and the Storm will use their core designation on the sixth-year forward.

The Storm's decision to core Gabby Williams came as a surprise to many Tuesday. Williams can now sign a one-year contract at the league maximum of $294,244 but is not able to sign with another team as a free agent.

The Seattle Storm extended a core qualifying offer to Gabby Williams, sources told ESPN's Kevin Pelton.The designation allows Williams to sign a one-year qualifying offer at the WNBA's highest salary ($249,