As the newest team in the WNBA, the Golden State Valkyries are set up for an exciting 2025 season. It may not include a lot of winning, but the Valkyries will have a chance to build the foundation for future success, establish their identity, and see young players develop.
When the offseason first started, some people in and around the league even believed that the Valkyries could end up being a major player in free agency. After all, they had the money to chase stars and attractive modern facilities. They also could have offered players the chance to be the face of a franchise and have a team built around them. Kelsey Plum and Alyssa Thomas were two stars frequently linked to the Valkyries, but Plum was traded to the Los Angeles Sparks and Thomas to the Phoenix Mercury.
So far, the Valkyries’ offseason has been incredibly uneventful. No stars decided to come to the Bay Area, and the Valkyries are slowly but surely running out of options. While that may be disappointing at the moment, it will likely end up looking much better in a year or two.
Not landing a star could be a blessing in disguise for the Valkyries
Not landing one or two stars to pair with the players they selected in the expansion draft means that the Valkyries will likely be one of the worst teams in the league during the 2025 season. That is not unusual for an expansion team. The Atlanta Dream, for example, only won four games in their inaugural season.
Everyone involved in basketball wants to win, but sometimes, a few seasons of losing lead to something great. The Indiana Fever, for example, missed the playoffs for seven straight years before they won the draft lottery and landed Caitlin Clark.
Now that it looks like the Valkyries will be without a true star for at least one season, they can go all-in on relying on the draft lottery as well. This next generation of WNBA players is incredibly talented, and one or two bad seasons will increase the Valkyries’ chances of drafting at least one future star.
Golden State was not awarded a lottery pick in the 2025 draft but will still get to pick early on with the fifth overall selection. They can use the 2025 season to develop whoever they draft alongside Kate Martin, who is currently playing extremely well in Unrivaled, and Veronica Burton (and Carla Leite if she decides to come to the WNBA), establish the team’s identity, and increase their chances of landing more top draft picks in the next few years.
Building a winning team often takes time, and, unless the next free agency period goes much differently or the Valkyries get active on the trade market, it looks like Golden State will have to take that route. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Just because the Valkyries might not win much early on, does not mean that the team’s future is not bright. Soon enough, they may draft the next young star.