Mock WNBA Expansion Draft: Valkyries Roster Selections and Trades

On Friday, the Golden State Valkyries will unveil the first players in franchise history added via the expansion draft (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

After predicting which six players the existing 12 WNBA teams might want to protect and explaining which players won’t be eligible for the expansion draft, it’s now time to break down who Golden State is drafting on Friday will – with a twist.

Like the actual expansion draft, we include trades where teams either get the Valkyries to select a specific player or not select some of their most talented players who are left unprotected. These deals could be a mechanism for Golden State to add additional picks in addition to the No. 5 selection in next April’s WNBA draft, as well as picks in the second and third rounds.

I will use my versions of the protected lists as a starting point for the Valkyries, who can select an unprotected player from each team. And like Friday’s expansion draft, I have a spot for an unrestricted free agent that Golden State can make its key player when free agency opens.

Taking these basic rules into account, we come to the tips.

If Jones is unprotected, it would be a natural decision for the Valkyries to move her back to the Bay Area. The San Jose native starred at Stanford and won a national title there. Her versatility fits well with an expansion team. At 6-foot-3, Jones can defend front linemen, but also served as Atlanta’s point guard for much of last season. Her rookie contract as the No. 6 pick in the 2023 draft still runs for two years.

The Sky was the fifth stop in Allen’s seven-year WNBA career, so she brought a veteran perspective to the Valkyries’ locker room. After starting 48 games at point guard over the last two seasons, Allen struggled for that position in Golden State. Iffy’s outside shooting (26.5% career 3-pointers) limits Allen’s chances, but she can execute offense with skill.

The Valkyries’ choice here likely depends on which player Connecticut leaves unprotected: Nelson-Ododa or defender Veronica Burton. Both players were part of the Sun’s playoff rotation. Nelson-Ododa particularly stood out in 2023 when she posted a career average of 15.0 MPG after starter Brionna Jones suffered a torn Achilles tendon. Nelson-Ododa averaged 10.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per 36 minutes, suggesting she could be more productive in a larger role on an expansion team.

Depending on which players they want to protect, the Wings could offer a variety of interesting options to Golden State, including recent first-round picks Lou Lopez Senechal and Stephanie Soares and productive center Kalani Brown. Still, I’m leaning toward Kuier securing exclusive negotiating rights after sitting out the final season of her rookie contract. The No. 2 draft pick in 2021 won’t turn 24 until next August and has developed into a premier EuroLeague contributor, averaging 16.3 PPG for Umana Reyer Venezia so far this season.

Trade: Fever sends 2026 first-round pick to Golden State in exchange for the Valkyries’ 2026 second-round pick and agreement to acquire Samuelson

Here’s our first deal of the mock draft, and it’s interesting. Indiana might be the most motivated team to get the Valkyries to sign a specific player. Samuelson fell out of the Fever’s starting lineup after shooting just 35% from the field last season, and she has a guaranteed contract for a team-high $180,250 in 2025, according to salary data from HerHoopStats.com. A shift in that salary would give Indiana a ton of depth to build around Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark.

From Golden State’s perspective, there is little downside. The Valkyries could waive Samuelson and clear his salary from their cap, meaning they would effectively buy their way into next year’s draft – albeit possibly just a few picks – with cash. Alternatively, Golden State could keep Samuelson and hope she has another year under her belt before giving birth in August 2023.

Trade: Golden State sends Bell to Atlanta in exchange for rights to G/F Isabel Borlase

In addition to the ability to trade before the draft, the Valkyries also have the ability to deal cards to the players they select. In this case, we reunite Bell with new Dream trainer Karl Smesko, who trained her on Florida’s Gulf Coast before heading to Atlanta last month. In return, Golden State will receive the rights to Borlase, a 2024 second-round pick who plays in the WNBL in their native Australia and was one of my protected players for the Dream.

A No. 3 draft pick in 2021 after leading Arizona to the national title game, McDonald failed to match her 11.1 PPG average in 2022, her second WNBA campaign. Partly due to injuries, McDonald has seen her playing time reduced over the last two seasons. The Valkyries would bet on her to get healthy and re-sign as a restricted free agent at a reasonable price. McDonald is younger than the veterans the Sparks may leave unprotected, most notably Stephanie Talbot, and is less of a question mark in terms of availability than center Li Yueru, who must juggle the WNBA with commitments to the Chinese national team.

Trade: Lynx send the No. 15 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft to Golden State in exchange for agreeing not to select Dorka Juhasz and Jessica Shepard

The problem for Minnesota is that the team has seven players worth protecting and six spots. I chose Diamond Miller, the No. 2 pick in 2023, over Juhasz, even though he plays a key role in the playoffs. The Lynx could ensure they keep both of them – as well as Shepard, who sat out last season but could return in 2025 – by striking a deal with the Valkyries. In this case, Golden State has a choice between Minnesota’s other protected players and takes Pili in hopes that she can be as productive as she was in college at Utah. The No. 8 pick played sparingly as a rookie, averaging 2.4 PPG and 1.2 RPG on a Lynx team that fell just short of the title.

Trade: Liberty sends the No. 7 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft to Golden State in exchange for the No. 17 pick and agreeing to select Davis

As I explained when breaking down the protected lists, the defending champions are the most motivated team to make a trade with the Valkyries due to their deep roster and rights to a variety of players who didn’t play in the WNBA last season. If I’m Golden State, I’ll ask about this year’s No. 7 pick, which would give the Valkyries two of the top seven picks to begin acquiring young talent.

In return, New York goes back to this year’s second round and can choose which player the Valkyries take. Davis, a third-round pick in the 2024 draft, would be expendable as the Liberty must reduce the number of players whose rights they own by the end of the calendar year.

A second-round pick out of Ohio State in April, Taylor played for three different teams in her rookie season before landing in Phoenix for the stretch run and playoffs. She even started four games for the Mercury, making her an attractive option for an expansion team.

Barring a surprise, Golden State will choose between Holmes – who was drafted by Seattle in the third round before sitting out the season due to knee surgery – and second-round pick Nika Muhl. Holmes was selected to the 2022-23 AP All-America first team at Indiana with averages of 22.3 PPG and 7.3 RPG and would have a chance to make the Valkyries’ roster in training camp.

We saved the biggest name for last. Recruiting Delle Donne and using the core designation on her would be a huge win for Golden State — albeit one that might not pay off. It’s unclear whether the two-time MVP wants to continue playing after sitting out the 2024 season or whether she’s physically capable of doing so, which could lead to the Mystics leaving her exposed in favor of safer options. But the Valkyries could also use Delle Donne’s rights to trade her to a desired destination and secure draft picks in the process. As long as Delle Donne wants to play, teams will be interested in having her.

Here’s what Golden State’s roster (nine players) would look like following this simulated expansion draft:

PG Aari McDonald (RFA)
PG Lindsay Allen
SG Celeste Taylor
SF Katie Lou Samuelson
PF Elena Delle Donne (UFA)
PF Alissa Pili
F/G Haley Jones
F/C Awak Kuier
C Olivia Nelson-Ododa

Design rights:

G/F Isabel Borlase
F Kaitlyn Davis
F Mackenzie Holmes

2025 draft picks:

No. 5
No. 7
No. 15
No. 30

2026 draft picks:

GSV first round
IND first round
GSV third round