It’s been a month because the Liberty paraded their WNBA championship trophy up the Canyon of Heroes.
The cheerful screams of followers that stuffed the streets for the day have been changed by automotive horns, and the white confetti that dusted the streets is lengthy gone.
However basic supervisor Jonathan Kolb’s efforts to make sure the Liberty’s championship window stays vast open — at the least for another yr — are already ramping up as he prepares for the WNBA’s first growth draft since 2008.
After years of debate in regards to the league rising its footprint into extra markets, it’s lastly occurring. The WNBA is about to broaden from 12 groups to fifteen throughout the subsequent two years.
The primary spherical of growth will happen in 2025, when the Golden State Valkyries make their debut. The primary factor the Valkyries are lacking now could be an precise roster.
That’s the place the growth draft is available in, on Dec. 6 (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Right here’s what to know:The Valkyries, just like the Warriors, will play dwelling video games at Chase Middle in San Francisco beginning subsequent season, and the group’s headquarters can be within the Warriors’ former follow facility in Oakland.
Who’re the Valkyries?
Warriors proprietor and enterprise capitalist Joe Lacob mentioned for years that he wished to deliver a WNBA group to the Bay Space.
The Warriors formally received the bid to deliver a WNBA franchise to the Bay Space in October 2023. In Could, the franchise revealed it will be generally known as the Valkyries, a phrase that originates from Norse mythology and refers to “a host of warrior women who are fearless and unwavering — flying through air and sea alike,” in response to a press launch.
Underneath Lacob, the Warriors established a successful status with 4 NBA Finals titles and 6 Finals appearances throughout an eight-year span. It’s anticipated that he’ll deliver that very same mentality to the Valkyries.
Golden State tabbed former Liberty assistant basic supervisor Ohemaa Nyanin to be the group’s first GM. She helped rent former Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Natalie Nakase as the primary head coach.
How does the growth draft work?
Every of the WNBA’s 12 groups was to submit a listing of its six “protected players” to the Valkyries by Monday afternoon. Any participant not listed as protected can be up for grabs by Golden State.
The Valkyries will then have the prospect to amass the contract or the rights to 1 unprotected participant per group.
In addition they can cross on choosing a participant from a given group, sustaining further roster flexibility going into free company and subsequent spring’s draft, by which they maintain the No. 5 total choose.
Which gamers are eligible to be drafted?
Along with gamers who’re signed to a contract for 2025, pending free brokers and unsigned draft picks (resembling those that are based mostly abroad) should be protected by their present group to be ineligible for the Valkyries to take. If chosen, the Valkyries would keep the identical rights to that participant as their earlier group.
The Valkyries might take a most of 1 participant who is about to be an unrestricted free agent in February. However they can’t take any gamers who’ve been on a core-player contract for at the least two seasons, resembling Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner, which means these gamers don’t should be protected.
Which gamers are protected?
The WNBA is selecting to not make the participant lists public. That’s a departure from the NHL, which not too long ago made its protected/unprotected participant lists obtainable for the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken growth drafts. Current NWSL growth drafts did as properly.
What else may occur?
The Valkyries may make a cope with one other group to keep away from choosing an unprotected participant in return for draft picks or different belongings. Likewise, the Valkyries may leverage the facility they’ve with the growth draft and coordinate a multi-team commerce that might see gamers transfer to groups aside from Golden State.
It’s price noting these varieties of trades doubtless received’t be accomplished till January to ensure that groups to keep away from cap hits in 2024.
When is the following growth draft?
Franchises in Toronto and Portland are set to start play in 2026. An growth draft for these future groups is anticipated subsequent yr.
WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert has mentioned the league will pursue growth right into a sixteenth market as curiosity seems to stay excessive. Simply final week, Cavaliers proprietor Dan Gilbert threw his hat within the ring to deliver a group again to Cleveland. St. Louis and Philadelphia even have been talked about as different attainable future websites.
