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

The Seattle Storm have designated Gabby Williams as their core player, meaning she will not become an unrestricted free agent, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. Teams have until Jan. 20 -- the day before players and teams can begin negotiating -- to extend core designations to eligible players.

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

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.