Valkyries WNBA Expansion Draft Details Revealed
The WNBA is set to expand to 13 teams next season, as the Golden State Valkyries (which are owned by the same group as the Golden State Warriors and play their games in San Francisco's Chase Center) are poised to become the league's newest franchise.
But it isn't so easy as deeming the Valkyries a WNBA team and having them start their games. The team will need a roster. And it would be impossible to expect Golden State to be competitive if they had to choose from a pool of players who aren't currently in the WNBA.
Therefore, as it has done in the past, the league has decided to do an Expansion Draft. This essentially means that the Valkyries will get to pluck players who are currently rostered from the WNBA's 12 other teams.
Before Monday, it was unknown when this draft would take place, nor how many players each team would be able to protect from Golden State.
But those answers have now surfaced.
The Golden State expansion draft will be held on December 6th. Each team can protect up to six players, and Golden State will get to choose one player per team from the pool of available players.
BREAKING: The Golden State expansion draft will be held on December 6th!
— Women’s Hoops Network (@WomensHoops_USA) September 30, 2024
Each team can protect up to 6 players and the Valkyries will choose from the pool of available players.
This is going to be so fun 🔥👀
Who should be on the first team of the Valkyries!?! pic.twitter.com/gTp5TaDbnU
An X post from Indy Star Sports' Chloe Peterson provided additional details, such as teams likely needing to submit their list of protected players no less than 10 days before the Expansion Draft takes place. In addition, the Valkyries will only be able to select one player during the Draft who's eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after this 2024 season.
JUST IN: The WNBA has announced its rules for the expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries.
— Chloe Peterson (@chloepeterson67) September 30, 2024
The draft will be held on Dec. 6. pic.twitter.com/dQhLmOGwYg
While this is extremely exciting news, women's basketball fans still need to wait a little bit over nine weeks before the expansion draft takes place.
Given that every team will get to protect half of their roster, Golden State will be hard-pressed to field a competitive team next season. But their prospects of success should rise in the near future depending on how their first few WNBA Draft picks go.
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.