The Golden State Valkyries will join the WNBA as an expansion team in 2025. The Valkyries are currently preparing for their WNBA expansion draft. There is plenty of excitement for the Golden State expansion team as they have already sold over 17,000 season tickets (subscription required), but when will the Valkyries be ready to contend in the WNBA?
The Valkyries' primary focus in 2025 will be adjusting to the league. As a new team, there will be obstacles as they settle into the league. Could they contend? Anything is possible, but expansion teams tend to struggle in their first seasons in most sports.
When will the Valkyries realistically find themselves in a position to contend? A quality expansion draft and free agency performance will unquestionably help their situation. There is more to the potential timeline, though.
Golden State Valkyries' potential postseason timeline
The Valkyries will get things started with the expansion draft. Every other team in the WNBA can protect up to six players, so Golden State will likely not be able to add any stars in the expansion draft. With that being said, they could add players with potential to help the team down the road.
Golden State's attention will then turn to free agency. They can add a player on a maximum contract, which would give them a star to build around. The Valkyries will also be able to make trades after the expansion draft.
Signing impactful free agents may prove to be difficult, however, as many players may decide to join teams with better chances of contending during the 2025 WNBA season. Still, the Valkyries will do everything they can to give head coach Natalie Nakase the best possible roster.
When will the Golden State Valkyries make their first WNBA playoff appearance?
The Valkyries will probably have one star player on the roster in 2025. Perhaps Golden State can add one or two more stars to build around over the next couple of years. If Golden State has at least two reliable stars on the roster to build around by 2027, then they can focus on adding reliable depth around those star players.
The 2026-2027 offseason will prove to be of the utmost importance for Golden State. 2028 may be the answer, but we will offer a more optimistic prediction for now.
Prediction: The Golden State Valkyries will make their first WNBA playoff appearance during the 2027 season.