The WNBA is rising, and a thirteenth group — the Golden State Valkyries — is coming to the league in time for the 2025 season. However, the Valkyries don’t presently have anybody on their roster, and to ensure that them to truly have our bodies subsequent season, an enlargement draft shall be held on December sixth on ESPN. Every of the 12 present WNBA groups can defend as much as 6 gamers from getting into the draft — and the Valkyries can choose anybody who shouldn’t be protected to affix the most recent group within the Bay Space.
The Growth Draft for Golden State is about for December 6, 2024. Time to be introduced. Swipe for the Growth Draft course of ➡️
We are able to’t wait to assemble with our #Valkyries neighborhood and can share watch occasion particulars as we get nearer to the occasion date. Keep tuned! pic.twitter.com/cvYKprucTa
— Golden State Valkyries (@wnbagoldenstate) September 30, 2024
How the Valkyries enlargement draft will work
The enlargement draft is simply 5 weeks away — and group might want to submit which gamers they’re defending 10 days forward of it, so these choices shall be made in late November. That’s only a few weeks faraway from the conclusion of the WNBA playoffs, and earlier than free company begins in February, so quite a lot of gamers’ free company conditions shall be up within the air.
Most prime gamers shall be protected, however notably deep groups might have to depart some fan favorites unprotected. For instance, there’s no query concerning the Chicago Sky defending Angel Reese, or the Indian Fever defending Caitlin Clark, however there’s a great probability {that a} fan-favorite like Kate Martin received’t be one of many 6 protected gamers for the Las Vegas Aces.
The draft is made extra difficult by the very fact it happens previous to free company — and the incoming free agent class goes to be huge. If a participant that isn’t signed to the 2025 season is chosen, Golden State will obtain no matter rights to that participant that the prevailing group would have had if the participant was not chosen within the enlargement draft. Nonetheless, the Valkyries can solely choose one participant who’s eligible to grow to be an unrestricted free agent following the 2024 season.
Per league guidelines, Golden State can selected to core a participant that’s eligible, as long as they haven’t been a Core Participant for 2 or extra seasons — successfully which means the Valkyries would adhere to the identical free company guidelines that in any other case apply. If an unrestricted free agent is chosen, however not cored, that participant may have the flexibility to discover free company and decide a vacation spot, like some other. So, Golden State will purchase the precise contract, or the negotiating rights, of any participant they choose.
Within the 10 day span between groups solidifying their protected gamers, and the precise enlargement draft, the Valkyries can even have interaction in trades, together with agreeing to pick out a given participant and commerce them to a unique group, or, conversely, agreeing to not decide a selected participant regardless of the very fact they aren’t formally protected.
It’s all fairly difficult, however in impact, it implies that every group might lose as much as one participant so as to assist create this new WNBA group.
It’s not the primary WNBA enlargement drat — however it’s the primary shortly
The league held enlargement drafts in its early seasons: in 1998, when the Detroit Shock and Washington Mystics joined; in 1999, when the Minnesota Lynx and Orlando Magic joined; in 2000, when the Indiana Fever, Miami Sol, Portland Fireplace, and Seattle Storm joined; in 2006, for the Chicago Sky; and in 2008, for the Atlanta Dream.
However, we haven’t seen any enlargement drafts within the final 16 years, so that is comparatively new territory — although a possible signal of extra to come back. An extra enlargement draft is anticipated subsequent offseason, when WNBA groups from Toronto and Portland put together to affix the league.
