There hasn’t been much positive news about the CBA negotiations lately. ESPN’s latest report on the situation revealed that the WNBA hasn’t responded to the WNBPA’s latest proposal in a month since “it’s waiting for the players to submit what it would consider a more ‘realistic’ proposal.”
Without a new CBA, there is no expansion draft, no free agency, and no college draft. The former, especially, is a huge problem. Without the expansion draft for the Fire and Tempo, there is no way to know who will be on which team and what type of players specific teams need to target in free agency.
For teams that will have to make some tough decisions with their lists of protected players, the delayed expansion draft poses a whole other challenge: the more the draft is delayed, the more opportunities players have to showcase their talent, and the more it hurts to know that you won’t be able to protect them. The Valkyries are one of the teams that will lose important talent in the expansion draft, and the delay has given Carla Leite plenty of time to remind them of that.
Carla Leite is playing well in Europe but likely won’t make the Valkyries’ protected list
Teams are expected to be able to protect five players in the expansion draft. That is not enough for the Valkyries to protect everyone they want to keep around. Veronica Burton, Kayla Thornton, and Juste Jocyte are locks to be on the list of protected players. That leaves only two spots and a plethora of talent. Janelle Salaün will likely take up the fourth spot. Then, the Valkyries will have to decide between Iliana Rupert, Carla Leite, Cecilia Zandalasini, Monique Billings, Kate Martin, and Maria Conde.
If Leite is left unprotected, the Fire or Tempo will pick her. She is on a rookie contract, only 21 years old, has plenty of experience, and has proven that she can contribute to a winning team. There is no reason not to select her, but the Valkyries still have plenty of reasons to protect Rupert over Leite. Rupert started games and played big minutes in the playoffs. Leite, on the other hand, came off the bench and only played 16 minutes over two playoff games. Rupert seems like the better choice for a team wanting to build a contender.
But the delayed expansion draft has given Leite plenty of opportunities to underline how big a loss it would be to leave her unprotected. She just played her best EuroLeague game of the new year, dropping 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal in a two-point loss to the Turkish powerhouse Fenerbahce.
Leite is the youngest player on Zaragoza’s roster but plays a big role. She was the team’s leading scorer against Fenerbahce, holding her own against a veteran team that features Gabby Williams, Julie Allemand, Iliana Rupert, Emma Meesseman, Sevgi Uzun, and Teaira McCowan.