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Former Iowa star Kate Martin and reigning WNBA champion Kayla Thornton will headline the Golden State Valkyries’ inaugural roster.
The Valkyries are selected one player each from 11 teams during the Golden State Expansion draft on Dec. 6.
The full results of the expansion draft are below.
2024 WNBA Expansion Draft Results
- Iliana Rupert, Atlanta Dream
- Maria Conde, Chicago Sky
- Veronica Burton, Connecticut Sun
- Carla Leite, Dallas Wings
- Temi Fagbenle, Indiana Fever
- Kate Martin, Las Vegas Aces
- Steph Talbot, Los Angeles Sparks
- Cecilia Zandalasini, Minnesota Lynx
- Kayla Thornton, New York Liberty
- Monique Billings, Phoenix Mercury
- Julie Vanloo, Washington Mystics
The Valkyries did not select a player from the Seattle Storm.
The Valkyries were able to choose one player left unprotected by each of the 12 established WNBA teams.
Each club had until Nov. 25 to submit a list of six protected players who could not be selected by the Valkyries.
The Valkyries were permitted to make trades with clubs, involving agreements to select or avoid exposed players, from Nov. 25 to Dec. 5.
A club’s protected list could include any six players whose rights were held by the franchise, including those designated as core players. Coring a player gives them a one-year max contract and allows a team exclusive negotiating rights the following season.
Golden State was limited to drafting one player set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2024 season. The franchise was not allowed to draft any pending UFA who had previously been cored for at least two seasons.
The expansion draft is being managed by general manager Ohemaa Nyanin, who formerly worked as assistant GM for the reigning WNBA champion New York Liberty. Nyanin said ahead of the draft in December that the Valkyries would focus on building a team with a strong defensive identity (h/t Andscape’s Sean Hurd.)
The Valkyries are not limited by position in the initial expansion draft. The franchise can address further positional needs when free agency begins in February, or during the 2025 WNBA Draft in April. Golden State heads into the draft with three picks, including the No. 5 selection.
The launch of the WNBA’s 13th franchise was announced in October 2023. The team is owned by Golden State Warriors governors Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, and like their NBA counterparts will play home games in San Francisco’s Chase Center.
The Valkyries will be coached in their inaugural season by former Las Vegas Aces assistant coach Natalie Nakase. She worked with the Aces during their back-to-back championship runs in 2022 and 2023.
The Golden State expansion draft marked the WNBA’s first since the Atlanta Dream joined the league in 2008 and will be followed by two more in the near future. Franchises in Toronto and Portland are preparing to join the league ahead of the 2026 season.