The WNBA continues to grow with the addition of its 13th team. golden state valkyries — coming to the league in time for the 2025 season. However, the Valkyries currently do not have any players on their roster, and in order to actually have bodies for next season, the Expansion Draft will be held on ESPN on December 6th. Each of the 12 existing WNBA teams can keep up to six players from entering the draft. The Valkyries can draft any unprotected player to the Bay Area's newest team.
Golden State's expansion draft is set for Dec. 6, 2024. The timing will be announced. Swipe to proceed with the expansion draft process ➡️
I can't wait to get together #Valkyrie We will share more details about the watch party as we get closer to the event date. stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/cvYKprucTa
— Golden State Valkyries (@wnbagoldenstate) September 30, 2024
How the Valkyries expansion draft works
With just five weeks left until the expansion draft, teams must submit which players they want to protect at least 10 days before the draft, meaning decisions will be made in late November. This is just a few weeks from the end of the WNBA playoffs and before free agency begins in February, leaving many players' free agency status up in the air.
While most top players are protected, teams with particularly deep depth may have to leave some fan favorites unprotected. For example, there's no question the Chicago Sky will protect Angel Reese or the Indian Fever will protect Caitlin Clark, but fan favorites like Kate Martin will protect the Las Vegas Aces. There's a good chance he won't be one of the six players chosen. .
The draft is further complicated by the fact that it occurs before free agency. And the free agent pool that's coming is going to be huge. If an unsigned player is selected for the 2025 season, Golden State will receive the rights to that player that his existing team would have had he not been selected in the expansion draft. However, Valkyrie can choose one Players eligible to become unrestricted free agents after the 2024 season.
Per league rules, Golden State can select any eligible player as a core player as long as they have not been a core player for two or more seasons. That means, effectively, the Valkyries will be subject to the same free agency rules that apply otherwise. If an unrestricted free agent is selected but not cored, that player can consider free agency and choose a destination like any other player. Therefore, Golden State would get the actual contract, or negotiation rights, of the players they select.
During the 10-day period between a team locking up its protected players and the actual expansion draft, the Valkyrie can agree to select certain players and trade them to another team, or agree not to draft players. You can also participate in trading. Certain players, even though they are not officially protected.
It's all very complicated, but in practice it means each team could lose up to one player to help create this new WNBA team.
This isn't the first expansion plan for the WNBA, but it's the first in a while.
The league implemented an expansion draft in the early seasons. In 1998, they were joined by the Detroit Shock and Washington Mystics. When the Minnesota Lynx and Orlando Magic joined in 1999. In 2000, they were joined by the Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fire, and Seattle Storm. In 2006, he appeared on Chicago Sky. Then, in 2008, he joined the Atlanta Dream.
However, we have not seen an expansion draft in the past 16 years, so although this is relatively new territory, we may see signs of further expansion in the future. Additional expansion drafts are expected to take place next offseason as the Toronto and Portland WNBA teams prepare to join the league.
