History hasn’t been too kind to the WNBA’s two most recent expansion teams.
The Atlanta Dream won only four games in their first season in 2008. The Chicago Sky fared only slightly better in 2006 when they went 5-29. It took the Sky 16 years to bring home a championship, while the Dream are still in pursuit of their first.
Golden State Valkyries owner Joe Lacob wants to defy the odds, though, and win a title within the first five years.
The first step of building a potential future contender starts Friday with the WNBA expansion draft.
Here are four of the biggest questions heading into Friday’s event:
What’s at risk for the reigning champ Liberty?
The Liberty’s best shot at winning another title will be running back the championship-winning team.
The starters — Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich — should all be on the list of protected players. It’s unclear to whom the Liberty gave their final protected spot. Arguments can be made for and against Nyara Sabally, Kayla Thornton and Marine Johannes.
Losing any one of those three would be significant. That’s why GM Jonathan Kolb might need to offer the Liberty’s No. 7 pick in the upcoming WNBA draft to protect an additional player.
What will the Washington Mystics do with Elena Delle Donne?
The Mystics have a decision to make on star Elena Delle Donne, who stepped away from basketball before last season after a string of injuries.
Delle Donne played through a severe back injury in the Mystics’ 2019 WNBA Finals run.
She had two back surgeries in the following year and struggled to regain a clean bill of health, and also suffered an ankle injury that kept her off the court for most of the 2023 season.
Whether Delle Donne will play another WNBA game remains unclear, which could make the Mystics hesitant to use one of their six coveted protections on the 35-year-old.
If Delle Donne is available, the Valkyries could use a core designation (the WNBA’s equivalent to the NFL’s franchise tag) and lock in the two-time league MVP. Or the Valkyries could use Delle Donne as a bargaining chip if she prefers to play elsewhere.
Who will be the Valkyries’ cornerstone player(s)?
The most successful basketball teams are anchored by two or more star players with an X factor who headlines a balanced supporting cast. It’s hard to see what franchise player could emerge out of the expansion draft considering most teams will protect their six best players.
Golden State could, however, draft a young player who could one day develop into a top-tier talent. There likely will be several 2024 first-rounders, such as the Lynx’s Alissa Pili or the Wings’ Carla Leite, who could be up for grabs.
But to fulfill Lacob’s lofty goals, the expansion draft should be played like a game of chess for the Valkyries.
As Valkyries GM Ohemaa Nyanin has said, the expansion draft is just one of three ways to build the roster. The Valkyries have the No. 5 pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft and there’s plenty of premier unrestricted free agents hitting the open market next month.
Golden State should be using the power it has as the expansion draft’s conductor to build its pool of assets for potential trades.
One player in particular worth inquiring about is two-time WNBA championship Jewell Loyd, who reportedly requested a trade from the Seattle Storm.
The Valkyries would likely have to bring in a third team to pull off a three-way trade to get the veteran versatile guard, but bringing Loyd to the Bay Area to build around could be possible.
How does the looming collective bargaining agreement impact this draft?
The future beyond 2025 should be top of the Valkyries’ mind Friday.
Player salaries are expected to see a sizable increase with the new collective bargaining agreement. Teams are bracing for a chaotic 2026 free agency. That makes rookie scale deals — signed under the current CBA — a premium.
Garnering a pool of young talent that will be under contract for two or more years will give Golden State cap flexibility moving forward.
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