The Golden State Valkyries cast "a really wide net" ahead of this year's period of free agency, GM Ohemaa Nyanin told The Next in an interview published Friday. "In terms of a number, there isn’t a specific number [of free agents]. We’ve engaged all the agents ahead of time, just to say that we’re super excited to get our story told from us to each of your athletes," she added.
The Valkyries are the league's first expansion team since 2008, and it's clear the front office is determined to do everything they can to come close to owner Joe Lacob's goal of winning a championship in the team's first five years of play.
Flexibility is a key part of the Valkyries' plan
Nyanin also highlighted the team's roster flexibility, and told the outlet that this has allowed the Valkyries to take time to develop the team's true identity. As she explained, there have been a lot of questions to field: will the team be mostly made up of young players? Will they add seasoned pros?
"It’s organically being put together. We’re excited to have the opportunity to talk to athletes, and if they feel so inclined to have a conversation with us, we are ready," she said. Between herself, Coach Nakase, and VP of Basketball Operations Vanja Černivec, the Valkyries are led by experts who have a lot of experience in the WNBA. "So each of our different lenses will come to play in a really big way to make it make sense for whatever athlete wants to join the journey," Nyanin added.
How the Valkyries are enticing free agents
The WNBA and the player's union are negotiating a new CBA, which means that contracts signed for the 2025 season will likely be void after this year. In other words, most players are being signed as so-called one-year rentals — and some of those players are big investments.
The Next asked Nyanin how the team is approaching those free agents on this front. "We’re selling the opportunity to make history. If you would like to be an entrepreneur, to build with us, then come along for the journey," she said. If there is one question she's asking players, Nyanin continued, it's "Do you have the mindset to build?"
And that question seems to be making a difference. "To build is to build and there is no positive or negative around it," Nyanin explained. And if there's a team in the WNBA that has nothing but wide open possibilities in front of them, it's definitely the Valkyries.
You can read the entire interview with Ohemaa Nyanin at The Next.