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WNBA Golden State Valkyries

Valkyries Expansion Draft, Presented by CarMax, Preview

December 3, 2024 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Golden State Valkyries News Release


The Golden State Valkyries, the Bay Area's WNBA team, will announce their Expansion Draft, presented by CarMax, selections on December 6 at 3:30p.m. PT on ESPN. The Valkyries are the only team participating in the Expansion Draft and will have the chance to draft one player from each of the other 12 active WNBA teams. Those 12 teams will protect up to six players that the Valkyries cannot draft. They are also not allowed to draft players on a Core Player contract with their team for two or more seasons.

The Valkyries are only allowed to draft one player who is an upcoming free agent - the rest must be under contract beyond this offseason. They are also allowed not to select a player from certain teams if they choose, giving them more roster spots for the upcoming free agency and draft.

Any unrestricted free agents not selected in the Expansion Draft and not designated as a Core Player by their current team may be signed by any team, including the Valkyries, once the free agency period opens in February.

WNBA Expansion Draft

Friday, Dec. 6 | Start Time 3:30 p.m.

WATCH: ESPN

Between the time that the Roster Lists are submitted and a designated time on the day before the Expansion Draft, the Valkyries will be allowed to make trades with active teams, including an agreement to select a player from the list of Available Expansion Draft players and trade that player to another team.

Golden State is gearing up for its inaugural season, led by General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin and Head Coach Natalie Nakase. Nyanin and Nakase have imprinted on the WNBA's current championship landscape. Nyanin was the Assistant General Manager who helped build the recent 2024 Championship core for the New York Liberty and Nakase won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023 as the assistant coach of the Las Vegas Aces. Both plan to bring that winning culture to the Valkyries.

"We are committed to building a winning culture of grit, hard work and competitiveness," Nakase said. "We will strive to improve, compete and ultimately bring home a championship for our fans and this organization."

"Winning is the foundation of this organization and the Golden State WNBA staff will have that same spirit," Nyanin said. "Why not us? It will be us."

In addition to the players they select in the expansion draft, the Valkyries have the fifth overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, allowing them to acquire one of the league's top prospects as a significant foundational building block.

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