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WNBA announces Golden State Valkyries expansion draft

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A view of the WNBA logo before the game between the Seattle Storm and the New York Liberty at Climate Pledge Arena on August 30, 2024 in Seattle, Washington.
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – AUGUST 30: A view of the WNBA logo before the game between the Seattle Storm and the New York Liberty at Climate Pledge Arena on August 30, 2024 in Seattle, Washington. (Listen, I can’t really find photos of a team that doesn’t exist yet, okay?!) | Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images

The expansion draft will take place on December 6th.

The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s 13th franchise and counterpart to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, are set to play in the 2025 WNBA season. Before that, though, they will need to build a roster.

Per a statement released today by the WNBA, “The WNBA’s 13th franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, set to begin play in 2025, will begin assembling the team’s inaugural roster when the league conducts the Golden State Expansion Draft on Friday, December 6, on ESPN.”

The WNBA also says that each of the 12 other WNBA teams will be able to designate a maximum of six protected players — in other words, it’s unlikely that the Valkyries will be able to steal any superstar players, but they’ll likely be able to build a solid roster between the expansion draft and the 2025 WNBA Draft, whose class includes star-caliber players like Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.

Before the expansion draft, the Valkyries will also be able to make pre-draft trades, such as agreeing to pick one player and trade them for a player on another team. They also may only select one player who will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 WNBA season ends.

If your head is spinning (like mine is), the Valkyries posted a helpful guide to the expansion draft process:

Per their statement, the WNBA will release more information as the Valkyries’ expansion draft approaches. Regardless, we have faith that Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin will make the right picks and set the franchise off on the right foot.