The Golden State Valkyries will finally begin selecting players to fill out their roster as the WNBA holds its first expansion draft in 16 years on Friday.
It will be the league's first expansion draft since the Atlanta Dream entered the league in 2008. The Valkyries can pick one unprotected player from each of the other 12 franchises if they so choose.
The league will hold another expansion draft next year for the new franchises in Portland and Toronto that will begin play in 2026.
ESPN will have a 30-minute show on its main channel at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday. Players are not going to attend the event, which will be hosted by the Valkyries at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The franchise will have a draft watch party at a separate venue. During the broadcast, the results of the draft and Golden State’s first list of players will be made public.
Each WNBA team is allowed to protect up to six players on their roster who can't be drafted by Golden State. The roster includes players who finished last season on the team as well as others whose rights the franchise owns. The deadline for the teams to submit the list of players franchises chose to protect was Nov. 25. The lists were not made public.
Golden State will have the opportunity to acquire the contract or negotiating rights to one player from each of the other 12 WNBA teams. The Valkyries are also only able to select one player from across the entire league who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent.
The Valkyries do not have to select 12 players. Golden State is also able to make trades with existing teams before the expansion draft, which allows the Valkyries to acquire additional assets in exchange for not taking an unprotected player off a team.
Most teams will protect their top players, meaning it will be difficult for the Valkyries to get a star in the expansion draft. Some of the players who might be available include Marine Johannes (New York), Han Xu (New York) and Li Yueru (Los Angeles). If available, all three play for their country's national teams, which makes their availability in Olympic and World Cup years questionable. That said, all have shown they can have an impact in the WNBA.
The Valkyries hired a front office staff of Ohemaa Nyanin as general manager and Natalie Nakase as head coach. The pair will be the principle decision makers.
The Valkyries are expected to be active participants in free agency. Top unrestricted free agents this year include Nneka Ogwumike, DeWanna Bonner, Alyssa Thomas, Tina Charles, Natasha Howard and Brionna Jones.
The Valkyries will have the fifth pick in the WNBA draft that's set for April 14. The Dallas Wings won the lottery and have the top selection. Golden State will choose fifth in each of the three rounds.
Golden State will play its inaugural game on May 16 when the team hosts the Los Angeles Sparks on the opening night of the 2025 WNBA season. The Valkyries have more than 20,000 season ticket deposits and will play their games at the Chase Center — home of the Golden State Warriors.
In Norse mythology, the Valkyries were female warriors who chose and guided slain heroes to Valhalla. Golden State's website touts Valkyries as “a defiant symbol of the power of women," noting they are “strong, bold, fierce.” The team’s V-shaped logo melds Valkyrie imagery with references to the iconic Bay Bridge – a sword and wings overlayed with a tower and support cables.
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FILE - Golden State Valkyries WNBA head coach Natalie Nakase waves before an NBA preseason basketball game between the Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings in San Francisco, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
Arizona (7-8) at Los Angeles Rams (9-6)
Saturday, 8:15 p.m. EST, NFL Network
BetMGM NFL odds: Rams by 6 1/2.
Against the spread: Cardinals 9-6; Rams 8-7.
Series record: Rams lead 50-41-2.
Last meeting: Cardinals beat Rams 41-10 in Glendale, Ariz. on Sept. 15.
Last week: Cardinals lost to Carolina 36-30, OT; Rams beat New York Jets 19-9.
Cardinals offense: overall (11), rush (5), pass (20), scoring (14).
Cardinals defense: overall (20), rush (22), pass (13), scoring (T-13).
Rams offense: overall (15), rush (20), pass (13), scoring (17).
Rams defense: overall (24), rush (25), pass (19), scoring (21).
Turnover differential: Cardinals minus-4; Rams plus-5.
WR Marvin Harrison Jr. has had a relatively productive rookie season with 51 catches for 726 yards and seven touchdowns. But it’s also true that he hasn’t always looked like the true franchise changing force the Cardinals expected when they took him with the No. 4 overall pick. Arizona might be out of the playoff race, but Harrison’s development continues to be a major focus for the team down the stretch.
RB Kyren Williams is coming off his best game of the season after rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries to help Los Angeles grind out a win at the Meadowlands. He hardly factored into the first meeting against Arizona, a game the Rams trailed 14-0 halfway into the first quarter and 24-3 at halftime, getting 12 carries and running for 25 yards and a touchdown behind a battered offensive line.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray vs. Rams defensive line. Los Angeles had no answers for Murray in September as he threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns without an interception and added 59 yards rushing. But their defensive front is much more cohesive than it was in the second week of the season, with rookies Jared Verse and Braden Fiske proving to be menaces in the backfield. If Murray feels that pressure and can’t keep his eyes downfield, the Rams will be in much better shape to limit Arizona’s passing game.
The Cardinals have been beat up over the past two games. Both of the starting tackles — Paris Johnson Jr. (knee) and Jonah Williams (knee) — are out for the season after they were put on injured reserve this week. Others such as RB James Conner (knee), LB Baron Browning (neck), LB Mack Wilson Sr. (concussion) and DL Darius Robinson (calf) have been limited during practice. … The Rams are in good shape, a far cry from where they were to start the season. RT Rob Havenstein was the only name on their injury report through Wednesday, when he was limited because of a shoulder injury.
Arizona has not swept the season series since 2014 when the Rams were playing in St. Louis. ... The Rams and Cardinals have split the past four meetings. Arizona had dropped 11 of the previous 12 in the series. … Los Angeles is 3-2 against Arizona since moving into SoFi Stadium in 2020, kickstarting its run to the Super Bowl after the 2021 season with a 34-11 win in an NFC wild-card game.
The Cardinals have lost four of their past five games and were eliminated from the playoff race after last week’s 36-30 loss to the Carolina Panthers. The Cardinals have made the playoffs just once over the past nine seasons. That was in 2021 ... Harrison had four catches for 130 yards and two TDs vs. the Rams in Week 2. All of that production came in the span of seven plays in the first quarter. ... The Cardinals are No. 5 in the NFL with 145.8 yards rushing per game. They also rank No. 2 with 5.28 yards per carry. ... Chad Ryland has made 25 field goals since his debut in Week 5, which ranks fourth in the NFL over that span. ... Safety Budda Baker has a career-high 148 tackles this season, which broke his previous high of 147 set in 2019. ... James Conner has 1,500 yards from scrimmage this season, including 1,090 rushing and 410 receiving. ... Trey McBride has caught 91 passes this season, which is a franchise record at tight end for the Cardinals. … The Rams can clinch a playoff spot with a win and either a Seahawks loss or tie or a series of results elsewhere to secure the strength of victory tiebreaker. … Rams QB Matthew Stafford threw for 110 yards against the Jets. Los Angeles has won all four games this season where Stafford has finished with fewer than 200 yards through the air. … WR Puka Nacua had a record-setting rookie season, but Arizona was the one team that kept him in check. Nacua made four catches in each of the two meetings in 2023, finishing with 26 and 27 yards. … The Rams didn’t have LT Alaric Jackson (suspension), LG Steve Avila (knee) or Nacua (knee) in the Week 2 game against the Cardinals. … Los Angeles has run for at least 132 yards in four straight games, with Williams accounting for at least 87 yards in each outing that span.
Cooper Kupp likely sank many a fantasy title push with his limited production over the past month, and the Rams WR should remain on benches this week for any owners still in the mix. Kupp has topped 44 yards receiving once in his past five games against Arizona.
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Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner runs past Carolina Panthers cornerback Michael Jackson during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay watches from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray runs against the Carolina Panthers during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams runs against the New York Jets during the first half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) runs after the catch as New England Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones defends during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) passes as New York Jets safety Chuck Clark, bottom left, applies pressure during the first half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
