The WNBA will send shockwaves through the league this Friday when the Expansion Draft begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN — as much for the players who are protected from the Golden State Valkyries as for the players who are not.
While each team is allowed to keep their list of protected players private, there's plenty of speculation about who isn't on the list (and why). As much as it's nearly impossible to imagine, for example, a Chicago Sky without Diamond DeShields, the truth of the matter is that nearly anything could happen.
Here are 5 players we think will be unprotected during the Expansion Draft on Friday — but keep in mind this list could change.
NaLyssa Smith??? (Indiana Fever)
Question marks included on purpose because it's anyone's guess what exactly is going on between Smith and the Fever. After the team seemingly indicated Smith will be one of their protected six, the forward shared a post to her Instagram Story that sure sounded like she's not planning to be playing home games in Indianapolis next year. Time will tell, but Smith's exit from the Fever on Friday probably wouldn't surprise anyone.
Diamond DeShields (Chicago Sky)
Considering the Sky in terms of the Expansion Draft is pretty interesting right now. Angel Reese, Camilla Kardoso, and Chennedy Carter are all but assuredly going to be protected, and I don't see a world where Marina Mabrey isn't also on that list. But DeShields is a wild card. She's coming off of a season where she scored 4.5 points per game, so it might just be that a new city and a new team could be a great jumping-off point for her game — and she would bring several of years of experience to a team that will likely have a lot of young players on its roster.
Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever)
I would be extremely surprised if the Fever parted ways with Hull, especially since she has a great friendship with Caitlin Clark and seems to neatly fill the role that Kate Martin served when they were teammates in Iowa, but I wouldn't completely assume the team will protect her. The truth of the matter is that Hull would be a steal in a lot of ways (she has one more year left in her rookie contract, which would save the Valkyries some money).
Kayla Thornton (New York Liberty)
Thornton is a solid member of the Liberty but not one of the starting five, and if the team has to choose between protecting her or protecting Nyara Sabally, my money is on the latter. Thornton averaged 5.5 points over the 2024 season, and is entering her 9th season in the league. She brings experience, power, and still has plenty of time on the court ahead of her.
Gabby Williams (Seattle Storm)
Williams is one of the strongest players on the Storm and should be a lock for the team's protected list, but she's been verbal about being unhappy with elements of the WNBA that her team can and cannot control. She's a citizen of both the U.S. and France and has no problem playing overseas (where she apparently makes a lot more money), so she might be left off the list simply because she wouldn't mind heading to another team that can meet her priorities.