Golden State Valkyries’ expansion draft details revealed

Golden State is the WNBA’s first expansion team since the Atlanta Dream in 2008.

The WNBA announced the parameters for the Golden State Valkyries’ expansion draft today.

The Valkyries, the WNBA’s 13th team, are due to begin play next season at the Chase Center in San Francisco, California. With their debut season not yet underway, the Valkyries do not have any players on their roster, so they will be selecting one player from each existing team on Dec. 6.

Here are some key points on the expansion draft:

• The draft will take place on Dec. 6 and will be televised on ESPN.
• Each existing team will submit a list of six “protected” players to the WNBA approximately 10 days ahead of the draft. Each team’s protected players are ineligible to be selected by the Valkyries.
• The Valkyries are allowed to select no more than one player from each team. This works out perfectly for roster construction, as there are 12 existing teams and the roster size in the WNBA is 12 players.
• Once each team has submitted its list of protected players, the Valkyries are permitted to make trades.
• The Valkyries may select no more than one player who will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. In the event that they select an upcoming free agent, they would operate as that player’s previous team for the purposes of contract negotiations.
• Once the expansion draft has been completed, the Valkyries will be able to sign any available free agents just like any other WNBA team.

The year 2008 was the last time the WNBA expanded, I was five years old, so I’m excited to see how the draft process plays out. As a fan of the WNBA and sports aesthetics in general, I’m a little bummed that the Valkyries with their stunning violet colorway won’t be eligible for the first pick in the regular WNBA draft to select Paige Buckers, but hopefully she’ll end up on the Mystics as compensation.

My tentative predictions for the Mystics’ six protected players are Ariel Atkins, Shakira Austin, Aaliyah Edwards, Brittney Sykes, Jade Melbourne and Julie Vanloo which are different than the players who Albert Lee believes will be protected. I will work on a more in-depth article predicting the expansion draft as a whole as the date nears, but here are Albert’s picks and thoughts on the matter in the meantime.