Following the revelation of the official Valkyries name for the upcoming WNBA expansion team in Golden State, the team has surpassed 10,000 season ticket deposits for their inaugural season.
The situation was unique for Golden State as they had:
No coach
No front office
No players
While the first two are now addressed, the focus for Golden State is on building their roster through an expansion draft, free agency, and the 2025 WNBA Draft.
The expansion draft presents an exciting opportunity for Golden State as they can select one player from each of the other 12 teams in the league. However, there are restrictions in place, with teams allowed to protect up to six players and only one unrestricted free agent can be selected overall.
Players whose final season under contract was in 2024 are eligible to be chosen if left unprotected by their teams, receiving a one-year core designation from Golden State.
Players can only be core designated twice in their careers, making players like Brittney Griner, Natasha Howard, DeWanna Bonner, Bri Jones, and Nneka Ogwumike ineligible for the draft.
The expansion draft allows for strategic player selections to shape the roster as Golden State gears up for a competitive future in the league.
Teams have until Nov. 25 to designate their protected players before the Dec. 6 expansion draft. Golden State is playing a role as the general manager in an exercise where writers, editors, and designers are managing existing WNBA franchises.
Teams can also trade with Golden State to influence player selections, allowing flexibility in roster building and free agency decisions.
For the exercise, Golden State aims to build a competitive team within five years, selecting players strategically to achieve this goal.
With the forthcoming addition of teams in Toronto and Portland to the WNBA, similar player selection processes will be repeated in the future.
Golden State has the flexibility to pass on players or engage in trades to manage their roster effectively.
This exercise serves as an audition for potential future roles with upcoming WNBA teams in Toronto and Portland.
Overall, the draft and player selections allow for strategic decisions and an exciting look into how Golden State plans to build its team and compete in the league.
