Golden State WNBA Expansion Draft Preview
How the expansion draft process works plus what the arrival of the Valkyries means for the Sky's roster.
The WNBA’s thirteenth franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, will begin play next spring, but, first, the franchise has to construct its initial roster—starting with the expansion draft on December 6th. With the Sky in the midst of their own personnel restructure and owing a list of protected players to the league by Monday (11/25), let’s dive into the structure of the expansion draft and what it could mean for the Sky’s roster moving forward.
How does the expansion draft work?
The Valkyries will have the opportunity to select twelve players—one from each of the existing WNBA franchises. Aside from a select group of protected players from each organization, Golden State can select any player with any contract status. In other words, currently contracted players, pending free agents and rights to international players are all fair game. Whoever the Valkyries do select will arrive on the West coast with the same contract/rights situation they had with their previous team.
The only restriction is that the Valkyries can only pick one impending unrestricted free agent. That being said, there would be little incentive to pick such a player, unless they were eligible for a core designation (similar to the NFL’s Franchise Tag), as they could walk for nothing when free agency opens in February (or alternatively could arrive to Golden State for nothing at that time). Expect restricted free agents, reserved players and rights to overseas players to make up a decent portion of the Valkyries’ picks to give them enhanced value and additional flexibility when it comes to completing their roster during free agency and the WNBA draft.
How many players can each team protect?
Each team can protect up to six current players. Again, “current” includes all players to which a team had any rights in 2024—irrespective of their 2025 contractual status. In the Sky’s case, this means upcoming unrestricted free agents like Isabelle Harrison and reserved players from overseas like Nikolina Milić are all theoretical candidates to be included in the list of protected players.
Note: The WNBA will not make the list of protected & unprotected players public though players will be notified. That said, expect to see some suggestive posts on social media from players in the hours following the submission of lists.
What about trades?
If the last twelve months are any indication, this Sky front office are always in the market to make a trade, and they’ll get a chance starting Tuesday (11/26) after the roster lists with protected and unprotected players designated have been submitted to the league office a day earlier.
Starting the 26th and up until the day before the draft (12/5), Golden State can make trades with the intent to facilitate movement of an unprotected player to another franchise. There are numerous past examples of this practice taking place in various leagues’ expansion drafts with LaToya Thomas standing out as one example from the Atlanta expansion draft in 2008 (she was traded to Detroit on the day of the draft after being selected from the Sparks’ unprotected list). Alternatively, the Valkyries can help a team to protect additional players who did not make their protected list—usually in exchange for draft compensation.
What does it mean for the Sky roster?
In truth, I don’t see the decision-making process for the Sky being overly difficult—perhaps with the exception of who occupies the sixth protected spot. Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso are locks to be protected while the recently re-signed Elizabeth Williams and upcoming restricted free agents Chennedy Carter and Michaela Onyenwere also seem like relatively safe bets to be chosen.
That leaves one final spot on the protected list open—with perimeter players Lindsay Allen and Rachel Banham the most likely to occupy it. For all the positive elements that Allen brought to the Sky last season, Banham looks the odds-on favorite given her ability to shoot the basketball. With two picks in the top ten of the draft, the Sky are likely to select their point guard of the future in April (read more about some of the top candidates here), and GM Jeff Pagliocca will feel reasonably comfortable that he can find a veteran PG to hold down the fort behind the rookie in the event that the Valkyries decide to select Allen.
Of course, if each of Carter, Banham and Onyenwere is protected, that trio could also start on the perimeter—with a new draft pick and a veteran added to the bench in Allen’s absence. Whatever the case, the Sky’s need for shooting and Banham’s considerable edge over Allen in that area should see her take the sixth and final protected slot. Banham’s presence at new head coach Tyler Marsh’s press conference and work with the Sky’s young core in the Chicago area this offseason also suggest that she’s seen as part of the franchise’s future—though none of that should be seen as a slight on Allen who’s only absent as a result of her overseas commitments in the Turkish league.
Which unprotected Sky player is most likely to be chosen?
The reason the battle for the sixth spot is so competitive is, in part, because of the team-friendly deals that both Allen and Banham will be playing on next season. Because of those contracts, there’s a decent chance the Valkyries end up selecting whichever of the two is not protected as their lone selection from the Sky roster. Since both are also relatively proven veterans, it’s very possible that another team (a cash-strapped contender perhaps) could look to facilitate a trade with Golden State to add Allen or Banham as well.
Other candidates for selection seem few and far between given their existing contract situations. Harrison, Diamond DeShields and Brianna Turner are all unrestricted free agents—giving the Valkyries little incentive to pick them as they’ve not played up to the value of a core designation and would otherwise be available for free in just a few months’ time. Dana Evans, once seen as a lock to be protected in this draft, will be a restricted free agent meaning she could have considerable value if the Valkyries see her as their PG1 moving forward, but the free agent market for the 2021 champion should be relatively quiet after an up-and-down 2024 season. As a result, Golden State likely looks elsewhere and returns to Evans as an option in February.
Moriah Jefferson, while under contract for 2025, would arrive on a big number ($145k) that her 2024 play probably suggests is too much. There are easier ways for Golden State to hit the salary floor than taking on a hefty salary for a rotational veteran. Lastly, Milić and a few other overseas players (Maria Conde, perhaps) are likely still allocated to the Sky on the W’s official listings, but I don’t see any knocking down the door to return from Europe to play in the W next summer—ruling them out as realistic candidates.
Expansion Draft Predictions (2025 status)
Protected:
Angel Reese (under contract), Kamilla Cardoso (under contract), Elizabeth Williams (under contract), Rachel Banham (under contract), Chennedy Carter (restricted free agent), Michaela Onyenwere (restricted free agent)
Unprotected –Selected:
Lindsay Allen (under contract)
Unprotected – Not Selected:
Moriah Jefferson (under contract), Dana Evans (restricted free agent), Isabelle Harrison (unrestricted free agent), Diamond DeShields (unrestricted free agent), Brianna Turner (unrestricted free agent), Nikolina Milić (reserved)