Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase is set to have a very fun first year, as the team is just about to land both a top 5 draft pick and quite a few gems from the WNBA expansion draft on Dec. 6th.
While the list of players left unprotected by teams is being kept anonymous, it's easy to speculate who current teams are prioritizing as core pieces of their team and who they're willing to let walk given they're free agents or simply not getting minutes in the current rotation. With plenty of talent to go around on several teams' benches, it's time to start wondering who will be in the starting five for the Valkyries come next year.
Brief explanation of expansion draft rules
The expansion draft is fairly straightforward. Teams have to submit a list of six players they'll be protecting from the draft itself, which leaves the rest of their roster up for grabs. Then, the Valkyries will be able to snag one player from each team, leaving them with a roster of 12 players total. The team can select an unrestricted free agent as long as they weren't already set as a Core Player by whatever team they were on in 2024, but Golden State can only select one player with that status.
Given those rules, here's what the Valkyries' starting five could look like once play begins next summer.
Courtney Vandersloot
It sounds a little ridiculous to imagine the New York Liberty parting ways with Vandersloot given her legendary status in the league and the fact that she can still, clearly, ball. But, the team opted for Leonie Fiebich over her in the postseason - which ended pretty well for all parties involved - and Vandersloot was relegated to bench minutes on a championship run.
Vandersloot would be an excellent veteran table-setter to place alongside some younger starters who could use the change of scenery and direction from her on the floor.
Tiffany Mitchell
Tiffany Mitchell shows glimpses of some serious sharp shooting all the time, but injuries have unfortunately hampered her ability to establish a rhythm in recent years with the Connecticut Sun. As the Sun seem destined for a rebuild with an aging roster and a new head coach to look forward to, Mitchell would likely be the odd one out on a list of protected players.
Alyssa Thomas, DeWanna Bonner, Brionna Jones, Marina Mabrey, DiJonai Carrington, and Ty Harris feel most likely to be protected by Connecticut, and it'd be smart to get Mitchell as another veteran leader.
Natasha Howard
Reading Howard's name, you may be thinking, "Why would the Dallas Wings ever let her go?" She's a force on the floor when healthy. She's a scoring machine in the post and a great option defensively in the post if you're lacking for a center. But Howard is also set to become a free agent and has implied on social media she's played her last minutes with Dallas.
Howard may not be the Wings player Golden State fans want to see brought over to California - Satou Sabally is likely to be coveted by them, but the Wings are going to likely core her. Plus, other teams like the Indiana Fever may be in a bidding war for her, and the Valkyries may not be trying to take such a large swing if they can, instead, tank for JuJu Watkins or Raegan Beers.
Howard would be an excellent centerpiece for the Valkyries to build around and feature alongside a great facilitator in Vandersloot.
Diamond Miller
Miller is a player who, unfortunately, has fallen victim to an extremely deep Minnesota Lynx team. Miller is supremely talented as a scorer and athlete but simply got injured at a bad time in her early career with the team. She was healthy during the postseason but barely managed to get any time on the floor for head coach Cheryl Reeve.
Miller could bring shooting to a potential starting lineup that might be lacking in that department with Vandersloot and Mitchell on the floor. She and Howard could be a really dangerous tandem in transition, especially with their size. And, Miller could simply use a change in scenery.
Aneesah Morrow
The Valkyries might seek to trade their pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, but if they don't, they should try to land Morrow out of LSU. Morrow is averaging over 17 points per game on a strong true shooting percentage. In short, her ceiling is high, and Nakase could absolutely unlock major potential in Morrow with a legitimate PG in Vandersloot.
She lacks in three point shooting, so the team would have to definitely lean on Miller and whoever else they get to round out their bench in that department. But, Morrow, Miller, and Howard could all be threats from the rim to the midrange.