Nobody has more room to play with in free agency than the Golden State Valkyries. Without being tied down to any long-term contracts, they have the ability to offer max contracts to try and sway some big names away from their current teams.
Outside of the money, what do the Valkyries offer?
First off, nothing matches the excitement of something new. The community has already responded by buying massive amounts of season tickets. Plus, you get to make history all season.
This will be important for differing reasons for each of the following players, but they will have top-notch facilities in Golden State. For some, this will maintain the standard they are used to but for others across the WNBA, this will be a major upgrade.
Lastly, a general interesting factor going into the free agency period, many players will be looking to sign for only one year with the CBA negotiations on deck which players will be looking to enter free agency again after. There are worse places to be than Golden State with the factors listed above.
With the cap space, facilities, and excitement, which players feel like they could potentially bite and join the Valkyries in their inaugural season?
Kelsey Plum joins some familiar faces
After a disappointing end to the season for the standards of the Las Vegas Aces, the question can be asked if anyone might want a change of scenery. Kelsey Plum is the lone free agent from the core four alongside A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray.
Plum has grown into her own stardom and could reasonably want to lead a team of her own. And while yes, Golden State would be a new setting, there are already several familiar faces.
Head Coach Natalie Nakase has been on the Aces staff for both titles and Kate Martin was selected via the expansion draft. It certainly would be a jump into a larger role for Plum, but if there is interest, it is hard to think of a better situation for the California native to join.
The Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner special
Remember those facilities I was talking about? Here is where they come into play majorly. The Connecticut Sun are frankly lagging way behind in that department to a pitiful degree. For two players who are in the later years of their careers, having the best of the best in day-to-day care could sway Thomas and Bonner away from the Sun.
The Valkyries would also have the ability to offer both major contracts allowing the couple to stay together, make money, and potentially extend their careers even further with the care they can receive in Golden State.
Nneka Ogwumike returns to the Bay
Former Stanford standout Nneka Ogwumike would be a fantastic addition to this Golden State Valkyries team for several reasons.
Ogwumike has been there and done that in the WNBA at all levels. The former MVP and WNBA Champion would be a fantastic player to set the standard for the culture of the franchise going forward.
From a pure fit standpoint, she is arguably the best out of any of these suggestions. The Valkyries chose not to draft a true paint-focused center in the expansion draft, and Ogwumike is coming off a very solid season in that role.
With all of the uncertainty in Seattle, while unlikely, it certainly is worth it to Ogwumike to gauge the interest in joining Golden State.
Beginning on January 11th, teams can begin making qualifying offers and Core player designations, giving us a better idea of who might be available for the Valkyries to sign. January 21st officially marks the free agency negotiation period where we will learn if there is any interest in the above players making the move to Golden State.