WNBA rosters limited to 6 protected players for Golden State Valkyries expansion draft

The WNBA on Monday announced the rules and the date for the upcoming expansion draft that will leave up to half of existing rosters exposed for the Golden State Valkyries to choose from.

The WNBA previously announced in May the creation of the Valkyries, who will make their debut next season as the league’s 13th team and its first expansion franchise since 2008. Fielding a team, of course, requires the acquisition of players. Those players will largely come from the rosters of the current 12 WNBA teams in a draft scheduled for Dec. 6.

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Per the rules laid out by the WNBA, teams will be permitted to designate six players as protected from the expansion draft. The rest of their rosters will be exposed for the Valkyries to choose from.

In a league with 12-woman rosters, that means teams will leave half of their rosters exposed, which could lead to some tough decisions. Each team stands to lose a rotation player to the Valkyries.

This is less protection than the NBA has traditionally allowed during its expansion drafts. In the NBA’s most recent expansions, including the Charlotte Bobcats (2004), Vancouver Grizzlies (1995), Toronto Raptors (1995), Minnesota Timberwolves (1989), Orlando Magic (1989), Miami Heat (1988) and Charlotte Hornets (1988), existing teams were allowed to protect eight players from the expansion draft.

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The good news for existing WNBA teams is that there will be no double dipping. The Valkyries will be limited to selecting one player from each team.

“Golden State will have the opportunity to acquire the player contract of, or the negotiating rights to, one available player from each of the current 12 teams,” the WNBA’s announcement reads.

The Valkyries will also be permitted to make deals once the protected lists are submitted. That means the Valkyries can agree to select a player in the draft ahead of time and trade that player to another team. They can also negotiate deals with existing teams to draft or not draft a specific player.

The Valkyries will be limited to selecting one player who’s scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season.

“If a player not signed to a contract for the 2025 season is selected, Golden State shall receive whatever rights to such player that the existing team would have had if that player was not selected in the expansion draft,” the WNBA announcement reads.

The upcoming expansion draft is the first of two that will be held in upcoming seasons. The WNBA also recently announced the creation of expansion franchises in Toronto and Portland for a total of 15 teams. The Portland and Toronto franchises won’t began playing until the 2026 season. Details for that draft have yet to be announced.