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The Golden State Valkyries are officially here, ready to make their WNBA debut and turn heads. With a brand-new roster, fresh energy, and big expectations, the league’s newest team brings both hype and questions. Who will lead the charge? How fast can chemistry build? And where will they stack up in a loaded league? One thing’s for sure—the Valkyries are set to shake things up quickly.
In: everyone, but specifically:
Tiffany Hayes
Stephanie Talbot
Kayla Thornton
Monique Billings
Cecilia Zandalasini
Temi Fagbenle
Laeticia Amihere
Veronica Burton
Carla Leite
Julie Vanloo
Kate Martin
Chloe Bibby
Janelle Salaün
Kyara Linskens
Elissa Cunane
2025 WNBA Draft Selections: Justė Jocytė (1st round), Shyanne Sellers (2nd round), Kaityln Chen (3rd Round)
The Valkyrie made very intentional decisions in the players they selected in the expansion draft. While no front office ever wants to (at least publicly acknowledging it) be bad, only one out of the previous 10 expansion teams had a record over .500 in their inaugural season, per ESPN. And while a couple of selections were made to add some veteran leadership like Billings, Hayes, Talbot, and Thornton, nine of their selections were also international players, with the likely expectation that at least some of those players weren’t joining the team in 2025.
That doesn’t mean the team made reckless decisions in the expansion draft. I’d challenge that the team was prudent and measured. In the court of public opinion, no one expects this team to be good out of the gate. This isn’t the NHL’s Las Vegas Golden Knights, who took advantage of jumpy GMs and rode a terrific expansion draft to the Stanley Cup Final. They’re the exception that proves the rule. While we don’t know exactly what other teams offered on their unprotected lists, Golden State’s choices reflect a focus on higher-upside talent with future potential. It’s a longer-term investment that also doesn’t sacrifice a more immediate goal—free agency 2026.
The only thing that truly matters this season is establishing a team culture and a playing style that suits its players. The veteran core above will keep things moving in the right direction and will offer the linking causeway between the players and head coach Natalie Nakase.
As for the draft, taking Jocytė early may have been a surprise, but this is a professional basketball player. Her skill set is refined, and she has been playing against professionals for a long time. While this was a move for the future as well, matching the international flavor this team has (just don’t call them the UN team), it’s possible Jocytė can be available for the team as soon as this year.
I also liked the Sellers selection. Sellers was in the first round in several mock drafts, including my own, for how she elevated her play this season. I was surprised at how far she fell, for reasons I’m not entirely sure of, but she will have as much runway as possible to make an impression and earn a roster spot. As for Chen, like all third-round selections, the journey to lasting rostering is a near Sisyphean task, but she is a glue player who rarely makes mistakes. On one of the most in-flux rosters in the league, Chen will work hard in camp to show she can be a contributing WNBA player. It isn’t likely, but there’s a chance.
Projected Starting Rotation: Hayes – Vanloo – Fagbenle – Billings – Thornton
This lineup assumes Jocytė isn’t arriving just yet. It’s also possible this is the starting formation even if she were to come stateside.
As constructed, the roster is not an offensive juggernaut, but they do have the capacity to be feisty on defense. Teams that underestimate them will face a challenge. They will take time to form cohesion with one another and Nakase’s schemes, who is embarking on her first head coaching stint. A lineup like this gives the veterans time to set the tone for how this team wants to play. Whichever international players arrive for the 2025 season will bring maturity and experience, even if lacking knowledge of the WNBA game, but the American vets on this team bring toughness, selflessness, and willingness to be coached.
Their Ceiling
Look, let’s just call it as is—this team is not going to be good this season. Too many other talented teams, and there just isn’t enough depth on the roster to shock the world. This team is nearly assured another lottery selection in 2026, but that doesn’t mean they won’t have good moments.
Being the first WNBA team in history to sell 10,000 season tickets is already a milestone worth celebrating. On the court, the veterans take the younger players under their wings, developing a team culture and identity that suits their head coach and player profiles alike, which can all add to the buzz that should circulate this team all season. Keeping the vision for 2026 and beyond will be crucial too. You don’t have to win this season to sign stars next offseason, but you do need to show the league there’s a plan and a building process in place. Establishing those intangibles will be vital to what this team can become, no matter what the win-loss record reflects.
Their Floor
The team’s depth is razor-thin, and with the aforementioned nine international players, whose ability to adjust to the WNBA, should they arrive, remains a mystery. This team will likely endure injuries like any other; the team’s chemistry may not truly fit well, and Nakase could struggle to squeeze the most out of her players.
There is a real chance that if enough missteps occur, this team is looking at five or fewer wins, even with the company Golden State will keep at the bottom of the standings. Both the Washington Mystics and Seattle Storm improved significantly in the draft (both my top two “winners” of the draft), and other than the Connecticut Sun, which might be their co-pilot in the league’s basement, the rest of the league presents varying degrees of talent better than this team will be.
Question Marks
As reasonable as it is to expect, there are still massive questions heading into their inaugural season. Most prominently, which of the international players will commit? And what can they demonstrate? Will Jocytė be as good as advertised as the season progresses? Remember, she’s only 19 years old. How does Nakase adjust to being the boss, and what system will she implement?
There are many more questions than answers, but that is the excitement around an expansion team. The intrigue will be seeing how all of this comes together, which should be just as fun as wearing the lavender-purple team colors (seriously, this league needs to liven up its team color palettes). I, for one, know I’ll be watching closely all season, with a secure eye on 2026, but the growth of the team and the balancing act of the youth movement versus veteran stewardship will be a promising factor all season long.
All stats through the 2024 WNBA season. Unless otherwise noted, all stats courtesy of WNBA.com.
