Valkyries Fans Mourn Paige Bueckers' Fate After WNBA Revealed Draft Position
About an hour before Game 1 of the WNBA Finals tipped off between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert made multiple major announcements about the league's future.
One announcement was that the WNBA Finals would become a seven-game series instead of the current five-game format, starting in 2025. Engelbert also announced that the league's regular season is expanding to 44 games, as opposed to the 40-game slate currently. A third was that every playoff team would be assured at least one home game (which Indiana Fever Fans rejoiced over).
Engelbert also revealed that the 2025 WNBA Draft lottery would take place on November 17, and feature four teams (the Sparks, the Wings, the Sky, and the Mystics. However, the new Golden State Valkyries expansion team would not be a part of it, as they were guaranteed the No. 5 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
While getting pick No. 5 means the Valkyries will get an elite rookie, it also means they almost certainly won't get UConn star guard Paige Bueckers, who is projected as the draft's No. 1 overall pick.
This news has Golden State fans mourning what almost was with Bueckers.
"rip to the paige valkyrie agenda… 🕊️," wrote X user @bueckcrs, along with a photoshopped image of Bueckers wearing a Valkyries jersey.
rip to the paige valkyrie agenda… 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/dDjd4fLrpN
— 🐺💙 (@bueckcrs) October 11, 2024
X user @bueckers__ added, "paige mentioned by natalie aka valkyries head coach just now on the warriors broadcast when talking about the new talent entering the league… she belongs in the bay 😭💔".
"man paige is meant to be a valkyrie she would’ve been the star and future of that franchise i’m sick," said a third.
man paige is meant to be a valkyrie she would’ve been the star and future of that franchise i’m sick💔 https://t.co/pZ25HnhCm7
— aysia (@aysiacchanell) October 12, 2024
While Golden State won't be getting Bueckers, they could be in prime position to secure her Huskies teammate Azzi Fudd.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.