Veronica Burton burst on to the WNBA scene as the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft, when the Dallas Wings picked up the guard. Burton played with the team for two seasons, where she averaged 2.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.9 steals per game in 2022 and 2.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 0.7 steals per game the following year.
Burton was waived by the Wings ahead of the 2024 season and picked up by the Sun soon after. She played 31 games for the team and averaged 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 0.5 steals in 12.7 minutes per game before heading overseas to play in Australia's WNBL league.
Burton was selected as part of the Valkyries' inaugural roster during the Expansion Draft on Dec. 6, something she said caused "a mix of emotions." Burton spoke to SB Nation about the Expansion Draft and what it might mean for her career as part of an interview published Friday.
Burton also said she's really excited about the prospect of joining the team in the Bay Area, a part of the United States she hasn't visited. "It’s an incredible opportunity, and just a blessing, to be a part of this draft and of history," she explained. "Being able to play in the inaugural season and in the Bay Area is something that I could have never even dreamed of. It’s something that I don’t want to take for granted."
"From a mental standpoint, it just gave me more insight," she added. "They were very transparent and clear about it. I think that was helpful. I knew it was a possibility — I knew I could still be in Connecticut, or I knew I could be picked up in this draft. There’s still some nerves or anxiety, but it wasn’t necessarily a ‘left in the dark’ anxiousness."
The Connecticut Sun had to make a difficult decision before the Expansion Draft
The Sun's GM Morgan Tuck told SB Nation deciding which players to protect during the Expansion Draft was tough. "There’s a reason why they put a limit on how many you can protect, and it’d be easy if you could protect everyone that you know you don’t want to lose," Tuck said. "People that we ended up not protecting — it doesn’t mean that they’re not wanted. It’s hard when you have to leave people out or protect certain people over others."
While the Sun's list of protected players wasn't officially shared, it's likely the team protected Olivia Nelson-Ododa, Alyssa Thomas, DiJonai Carrington, Leila Lacan, Marina Mabrey, and Tyasha Harris. The team is likely to miss Burton's defensive strengths, but their loss will undoubtedly be the Valkyries' gain.