Real Time Valkyrie Expansion Draft Coverage

[DEpup]

Please tell me what I am missing. They chose 11 players, then there will be college draft, and folks are talking about free agency. That's way too many players to keep on a roster. Are they just going to discard a bunch of them later?

 

[cancontent]

Please tell me what I am missing. They chose 11 players, then there will be college draft, and folks are talking about free agency. That's way too many players to keep on a roster. Are they just going to discard a bunch of them later?

Isn't that what typically happens during training camp? There always are more players than the final roster before cuts are made during the work outs.

 

[Stagnant]

They picked a lot of international players. Maybe a bunch of them won't come over?

 

[WBBTakeover]

Please tell me what I am missing. They chose 11 players, then there will be college draft, and folks are talking about free agency. That's way too many players to keep on a roster. Are they just going to discard a bunch of them later?

They may not have to discard many of them because some of them aren't likely to show up.

 

[TheFarmFan]

Valks founding season ticket holder here, and watched the expansion draft at a bar with my season ticketholder group of friends, so couldn't post here real time.

I'm mixed here - it's of course confounding that we can't see who the teams protected, and therefore have a complete picture of what was possible. We also don't know whether any of the other teams were willing to offer trades, etc. So there's a LOT we don't know. That said, here's my take on everyone:

Love:
-Temi Fagbenle: Can't believe Indy let her go (apparently I'm not alone). I was sure they were going to leave KLS unprotected and hope the Valks would take a chance on her and eat her salary (if KLS were dropped by the Valks, she'd be guaranteed her salary regardless, so a win/win/win all the way around.) I thought Fagbenle was a much better fit with Clark than Smith, and to the extent Nakase wants to play an up tempo offense, Fagbenle runs the floor well and has great vision, so I'm super psyched about this.
-Cecilia Zandalasini: I'm assuming this means the Lynx (wisely) protected Dorka, and so the choice was her, Pili, or Miller. I am uncertain about Miller's long term trajectory - it seems like Cheryl Reeve lost some faith in her, and I trust Cheryl a lot - and I've always been skeptical about Pili's pro prospects because her size and skill set is such a weird thing to try to translate to the pro game, even though I loved her in college. So assuming Zandalsini does play, she's got a killer outside shot, runs the floor well, has great length, and is one hell of a 3 and D player.
-Kate Martin: Not a ton of options from the Aces, and she'll be a high energy fan favorite. She's also on a rookie deal, so she'll be cheap to keep for a few years.
-Kayla Thornton: It was just a question of whether the Lib would protect her or Nyara, and after Nyara's killer role in the finals, it was pretty clear they'd have to protect Nyara. While I would have LOVED to get Nyara, I'm thrilled to have a Vet who does so many things well, is extremely likable, and will be a great locker room presence.
-Victoria Burton: As with the Lib, just a question of whether it would be her or ONO, and given that all ALL of the Sun's bigs are free agents this off-season, I'm not at all surprised they retained ONO. Burton still needs to work on her scoring ability, but she will give us speed, defense, tenacity, and glue player skills. Let's hope she's taking 100 three pointers daily in the off-season. She's also been posting stuff on social media suggesting she's psyched to come, which is also good to see.

Like:
-Julie Van Loo: Despite only having one season in the W under her belt, she's a vet who's a solid point guard with a ton of experience. I was a little uncertain how eager she'd be to be so far from home, but she posted a video the Valks retweeted saying how excited she is to come, so that's a great sign. While I'm happy to have her, the "like" is only because I would have been more excited to have either Karlie Samuelson or Emily Engstler, and if my math is right, they couldn't have protected both of them.
-Stephanie Talbot: Another solid vet, who I thought played really well for LA, though her three point shooting kind of slumped last year, and she's most obvious as a 3 and D type player.
-Monique Billings: Again, not a lot of options for Phoenix. The only thing I'm skeptical of is that she's on a relatively expensive contract that we'll have to match, but she's a solid vet and a Cali homegirl, so I think this could be a good fit. She's also posted positive stuff on socials that makes me think she's eager to be here.

Who?
-Iliana Rupert: I'll confess, my friends and I follow the W pretty closely, and we were all like, "Who?!" And I'm super salty because I would be shocked if Atlanta protected Haley Jones, and I think she would have benefited from a change of locations and a return to the Bay. But alas.
-Maria Conde: Same. Who? Did the Sky really protect Lindsay Allen?
-Carle Leite: Same. Feel like we could have gotten Kalani Brown or Awak Kuier.

I guess the question is whether any of these three has any interest in playing in the W.

What I like about this is it gives us plenty of cap space to sign three free agents (I'm focusing on Jewell Loyd, Nneka, and Kelsey Plum - two of whom have reason to want to be back in Cali), and also to pick up a few rookies in the draft. If we get three free agents and hold onto our #5 pick, then we can drop a few of the international players and round out a solid 11 person roster.

All in all, I'd grade this a B/B+, if only because we have enough solid vets, we have room for three free agents, and I think it was inevitable we'd need to plan for a lot of roster turnover over the next 48 months.

 

[Blueballer]

I'm confused. I thought Golden State and Toronto would have alternating picks in the draft. Each team picks a bunch of players all at once? Seems odd.

 

[wendyjoy]

I'm confused. I thought Golden State and Toronto would have alternating picks in the draft. Each team picks a bunch of players all at once? Seems odd.

The Toronto team will not be in the league until 2026. Golden State is the only new team for 2025. Hope that helps.

 

[nwhoopfan]

The Toronto team will not be in the league until 2026. Golden State is the only new team for 2025. Hope that helps.

If that was directed at me, I'm aware. I said another round of expansion draft is coming up in a year. Portland also joins the league in 2026.

 

[nwhoopfan]

(I'm focusing on Jewell Loyd, Nneka, and Kelsey Plum - two of whom have reason to want to be back in Cali)

Is KP not expected to remain w/ the Aces?

 

[wendyjoy]

If that was directed at me, I'm aware. I said another round of expansion draft is coming up in a year. Portland also joins the league in 2026.

My answer was for Blueballers question/confusion statement.

 

[nwhoopfan]

My answer was for Blueballers question/confusion statement.

my bad

 

[Blueballer]

The Toronto team will not be in the league until 2026. Golden State is the only new team for 2025. Hope that helps.

Thank you.

 

[CBus13]

Valks founding season ticket holder here, and watched the expansion draft at a bar with my season ticketholder group of friends, so couldn't post here real time.

I'm mixed here - it's of course confounding that we can't see who the teams protected, and therefore have a complete picture of what was possible. We also don't know whether any of the other teams were willing to offer trades, etc. So there's a LOT we don't know. That said, here's my take on everyone:

Love:
-Temi Fagbenle: Can't believe Indy let her go (apparently I'm not alone). I was sure they were going to leave KLS unprotected and hope the Valks would take a chance on her and eat her salary (if KLS were dropped by the Valks, she'd be guaranteed her salary regardless, so a win/win/win all the way around.) I thought Fagbenle was a much better fit with Clark than Smith, and to the extent Nakase wants to play an up tempo offense, Fagbenle runs the floor well and has great vision, so I'm super psyched about this.
-Cecilia Zandalasini: I'm assuming this means the Lynx (wisely) protected Dorka, and so the choice was her, Pili, or Miller. I am uncertain about Miller's long term trajectory - it seems like Cheryl Reeve lost some faith in her, and I trust Cheryl a lot - and I've always been skeptical about Pili's pro prospects because her size and skill set is such a weird thing to try to translate to the pro game, even though I loved her in college. So assuming Zandalsini does play, she's got a killer outside shot, runs the floor well, has great length, and is one hell of a 3 and D player.
-Kate Martin: Not a ton of options from the Aces, and she'll be a high energy fan favorite. She's also on a rookie deal, so she'll be cheap to keep for a few years.
-Kayla Thornton: It was just a question of whether the Lib would protect her or Nyara, and after Nyara's killer role in the finals, it was pretty clear they'd have to protect Nyara. While I would have LOVED to get Nyara, I'm thrilled to have a Vet who does so many things well, is extremely likable, and will be a great locker room presence.
-Victoria Burton: As with the Lib, just a question of whether it would be her or ONO, and given that all ALL of the Sun's bigs are free agents this off-season, I'm not at all surprised they retained ONO. Burton still needs to work on her scoring ability, but she will give us speed, defense, tenacity, and glue player skills. Let's hope she's taking 100 three pointers daily in the off-season. She's also been posting stuff on social media suggesting she's psyched to come, which is also good to see.

Like:
-Julie Van Loo: Despite only having one season in the W under her belt, she's a vet who's a solid point guard with a ton of experience. I was a little uncertain how eager she'd be to be so far from home, but she posted a video the Valks retweeted saying how excited she is to come, so that's a great sign. While I'm happy to have her, the "like" is only because I would have been more excited to have either Karlie Samuelson or Emily Engstler, and if my math is right, they couldn't have protected both of them.
-Stephanie Talbot: Another solid vet, who I thought played really well for LA, though her three point shooting kind of slumped last year, and she's most obvious as a 3 and D type player.
-Monique Billings: Again, not a lot of options for Phoenix. The only thing I'm skeptical of is that she's on a relatively expensive contract that we'll have to match, but she's a solid vet and a Cali homegirl, so I think this could be a good fit. She's also posted positive stuff on socials that makes me think she's eager to be here.

Who?
-Iliana Rupert: I'll confess, my friends and I follow the W pretty closely, and we were all like, "Who?!" And I'm super salty because I would be shocked if Atlanta protected Haley Jones, and I think she would have benefited from a change of locations and a return to the Bay. But alas.
-Maria Conde: Same. Who? Did the Sky really protect Lindsay Allen?
-Carle Leite: Same. Feel like we could have gotten Kalani Brown or Awak Kuier.

I guess the question is whether any of these three has any interest in playing in the W.

What I like about this is it gives us plenty of cap space to sign three free agents (I'm focusing on Jewell Loyd, Nneka, and Kelsey Plum - two of whom have reason to want to be back in Cali), and also to pick up a few rookies in the draft. If we get three free agents and hold onto our #5 pick, then we can drop a few of the international players and round out a solid 11 person roster.

All in all, I'd grade this a B/B+, if only because we have enough solid vets, we have room for three free agents, and I think it was inevitable we'd need to plan for a lot of roster turnover over the next 48 months.

I’ve posted this writer before but he did a deep-dive on the picks that may help you see more about the few you are unfamiliar with. I was surprised by the Rupert choice over Jones, but Rupert did once play for the Aces, so Nakase must like her style and, as the article says, she’s having a good off-season.

2025 WNBA Expansion Draft: Assessing The Golden State Valkyries

After the first expansion draft in nearly two decades, the Golden State Valkyries now have a foundation. What do we make of Golden State after an exciting first shot to build their roster?

tgnwnba.com

 

[MilfordHusky]

Just a few thoughts:

Rupert is young and tall. Some people with international knowledge see her as a future star.

Zandalasini can be a sharp-shooter.

I too was surprised at Fagbenle, but didn't realize she is 32 years old.

Vanloo is about to be 32 years old. I've always liked her. Who is the new PG in Washington? Jade Melbourne?

Thornton has had some W success and should be a cornerstone.

The team will be weak, but will get some top draft picks over 2-3 years.

 

[Dillon77]

Richard Cohen's Report on Current State of the Valkries
(Hint, The top gun of Her Hoops Stats didn't think their work was golden: Too few people on contract and left some youth at other teams.
Also, why not force peoples' hands into giving up a draft choice to not draft a certain player?)

2024-25 WNBA Offseason Guides: Golden State Valkyries

For the first time in well over a decade the WNBA has a thirteenth team. We analyze their expansion draft picks and the tasks ahead of the Valkyries in the upcoming 2025 offseason.

herhoopstats.substack.com