The WNBA is introducing its first expansion draft in 16 years, marking a significant moment for the league as the Golden State Valkyries join the competition for the 2025 season. With this new franchise entering the league, the expansion draft will allow Golden State to build its roster by selecting players from existing teams. Here’s a breakdown of how the draft works and how it could affect the Indiana Fever and the other WNBA franchises.
To prepare for the expansion draft, each of the 12 current teams was required to submit a Roster List to the league. This list includes every player who is under contract or holds team rights at the end of the 2024 season, including those on active rosters, injured reserves, draft lists, and even retired players. From this list, teams are allowed to protect up to six players, ensuring they won’t be picked by the Valkyries. Although these protected player lists were shared with Golden State, they remain confidential, and the public will not have access to them until after the draft.
On December 6, the Valkyries will have the opportunity to select one unprotected player from each of the 12 teams, but they can only choose one player from each roster. While Golden State is not obligated to pick from every franchise, they are restricted to selecting no more than one player from each team. Additionally, the Valkyries can select one unrestricted free agent, but this player must meet specific criteria: they must not have been under a Core Player contract for more than two seasons. If Golden State picks such a free agent, they can designate the player as their Core Player for the upcoming season.
The Core Player designation is an important aspect of the draft. It allows a team to sign a player to a one-year, super-max contract, keeping them under team control. However, this designation can only be used twice in a player’s career. Aside from selecting players, the expansion draft offers other opportunities for Golden State to trade players. They can select a non-protected player from one team and then trade that player to another franchise. Teams can also negotiate deals to either protect a player from being picked or arrange for specific players to be selected in exchange for other assets.
The expansion draft results will be broadcast live on ESPN on December 6 at 6:30 PM ET, offering fans a first look at the new roster that the Golden State Valkyries will begin their WNBA journey with. This event is not just important for Golden State but for every WNBA team, as the draft will shape the future of the league for years to come.
