Gabby Williams seemingly will be returning to the Seattle Storm after the franchise cored her, though it remains to be seen what the team intends to do with the star this season

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.

Williams, widely considered one of the sport’s elite defenders, signed with the Storm mid-season after spending the first half of the season with the French national team, which culminated in an Olympic silver medal. In 12 games with the Storm, she averaged a career-high 10.3 points, as well as 4 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game.

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,

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

Likely dictated by the decisions of Nneka Ogwumike and Gabby Williams, the Storm's free-agency moves will likely have a long-term impact on the franchise.