Valkyries GM Breaks Silence After WNBA Trade Deadline Decision

The Golden State Valkyries faced a major decision at the WNBA Trade Deadline on August 7. The team is in their debut season and rolling despite a handful of troublesome injuries in the past month.

Being in their debut season, the team is as fresh as can be. That newness emphasizes how impressive their success has been and puts a great deal of importance on the chemistry the team has had together.

So with the deadline approaching, the Valkyries had to reckon with the idea of parting their tight squad for a potential gain in the trade market. On one hand, they’re a team that has communicated and collaborated well and that has contributed widely to their success.

On the other, they are in the eighth and last playoff-qualifying spot in the league with 15 games left to play and the Los Angeles Sparks hot on their heels. Acquiring an impact player through a trade could have given them the push they need to clear the distance.

The Valkyries chose the former option and chose not to make any trades. On Friday, Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin spoke on the rationale behind the team’s actions, or lack thereof, at the deadline.

“This is our first season together, and so we’re not making any decisions based on anything too far in the future or too immediate right now in the present,” Nyanin said (via Marisa Ingemi of the San Francisco Chronicle). “We’re trying to continue to remain flexible with whatever transpires throughout the season, and we looked at everything (trade-wise), we had conversations and feel pretty confident with how we landed.”

She added, “The (roster) movement was a lot for the team, and they’ve been super resilient. We don’t want to continue to make changes just to make changes.”

To Nyanin’s credit, the Valkyries’ decision not to trade has been widely praised. The team has made a point of cultivating a family environment for their players and it has yielded mostly successful results. They have already beaten the odds that have been against them as an expansion franchise and look poised to continue to do so.

Head coach Natalie Nakase has emphasized the team’s connectivity, and keeping them connected may prove to be their ticket to success. The Valkyries will battle against the Sparks in their first game post-deadline at home on Saturday and with the teams having identical records, playoff implications hang in the balance.