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The path looks familiar. Last year, Bay FC was lacking a marquee name, with no players from the vaunted U.S. national team.
So the team traded for and signed midfielder Alex Loera in November 2023. It grabbed five players in the December 2023 expansion draft and five in the collegiate draft in January 2024. It rounded out its roster with free-agent signings, including Nigerian striker Asisat Oshoala, a six-time African Player of the Year; young Ghanaian star Princess Marfo; and Zambian forward Racheal Kundananji for a record fee of nearly $750,000.
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Bay FC decided to build around international stars as the franchise’s best hope for an instant impact. The approach paid off, with Bay FC making the NWSL playoffs after signing national team veteran Abby Dalhkemper midseason.
It’s hard not to draw parallels with the Valkyries’ approach to building this season, particularly with a free agency period that started quietly before the team signed guard Tiffany Hayes, the 2024 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year, on Thursday.
Even the most salary cap space in the league hasn’t been enough of an enticement for top free agents this season.
“Players want three things … salary, to win and to play with other great players,” a league source told The Next. “Golden State doesn’t have any key players to recruit or sell for them.
“[Future WNBA expansion teams] Toronto and Portland should be watching.”
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One by one, the big names left the board. Guard Kelsey Plum — whom the Valkyries were reportedly targeting and hoping her relationship with head coach Natalie Nakase from their time together in Las Vegas might have a special appeal — ended up with the Los Angeles Sparks. Guard Jewell Loyd ended up with the Las Vegas Aces.
Forward Alyssa Thomas went to the Phoenix Mercury, as did forward Satou Sabally, another player Golden State hoped it might lure to the Bay Area. The Indiana Fever signed DeWanna Bonner and Natasha Howard. Courtney Vandersloot returned to the Chicago Sky, Stanford product DiJonai Carrington went to the Dallas Wings, and the dream of Stanford alumna Nneka Ogwumike coming back to the Bay Area died (for now) when she re-signed with the Seattle Storm.
It wasn’t the cost of living in the Bay Area or the commute between an Oakland practice facility and a San Francisco arena that kept them away. And it certainly wasn’t a lack of resources.
“People want to win right now,” a second source close to the league told The Next. “It’s literally about opting into a build.”
As much as WNBA players have talked about the importance of expansion and adding roster spots to the world’s most competitive sports league, top free agents made it clear that while expansion is good for the WNBA, it’s not for them. At least not yet.
Owner Joe Lacob, speaking to the media on Wednesday at the unveiling of the team’s Oakland practice facility, acknowledged his team’s status as a “startup.”
“I do think it’s challenging the first year or so, but you know what? It’s all [that] much more rewarding when we have success,” Lacob said.
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The good news is that Golden State is stocked with stellar international talent, with eight such players on the roster heading into training camp. They include forward Temi Fagbenle, who the Valkyries selected in the expansion draft, and veteran forward Stephanie Talbot from Australia, who has been in and out of the league since she was drafted in 2014.
Kyara Linskens, a 6’4 center, and guard Julie Vanloo, another Valkyries expansion draft selection, play together on the Belgian national team. Vanloo could be in line to join Hayes as a backcourt starter. Janelle Salaün, known as a strong defender, was part of France’s silver-medal-winning team at the 2024 Olympics. Australian shooter Chloe Bibby, who played at Mississippi State and Maryland, is currently playing in Spain and averaging 18.8 points per game.
The big question mark will be the impact of the EuroBasket tournament in June and how many players will miss substantial time to play with their national teams.
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It remains to be seen whether the Valkyries can land a late free agent and contend for a playoff spot in 2025, or whether they use their debut season to develop talent knowing a star college draft pick could be available in 2026. But they are likely to be well positioned to have something much more attractive to sell this time next year, when nearly every WNBA veteran becomes a free agent thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement.
And with Toronto and Portland entering the league in 2026, someone else can be the new kid nobody knows yet.
