The Golden State Valkyries officially have their first 11 players after the expansion draft on December 6. Golden State seemed to have a clear strategy: get a healthy mix of veterans and young talent they can develop in their first season as a franchise. Some picks, like the selections of Kayla Thornton, Kate Martin, and Veronica Burton, were no surprises.
Others were, though. Few Indiana Fever fans seemed to expect Tami Fagbenle to be unprotected and available for the Valkyries to draft, for example. Likewise, Cecilia Zandalasini was not frequently mentioned as a target for the Valkyries.
After all, the Lynx have three interesting young players—Dorka Juhasz, Diamond Miller, and Alissa Pili—and had no way to protect the starting five that carried them all the way to Game 5 of the WNBA Finals and all three youngsters. The Valkyries got their young players elsewhere, drafting Iliana Rupert from the Atlanta Dream, Veronica Burton from the Connecticut Sun, Carla Leite from the Dallas Wings, and Kate Martin from the Las Vegas Aces, and opted to choose one of Minnesota’s veterans instead.
The Lynx dodged one bullet but now have to get steady production from their young players
The Lynx were a veteran team last season. All of their main contributors were 27 or older, which makes the young talent they have waiting to take over bigger roles incredibly important, even though only Dorka Juhasz really contributed to the team’s run to the finals.
Losing any of those three would have been a blow to the Lynx’s future. They avoided that but now have to face a new challenge. Cecilia Zandalasini was a solid rotation player for the Lynx, offering great size and 3-point shooting on the wing. She may not have been one of the team’s top contributors, but still played around 12 minutes per game during the regular season and was a part of the Lynx’s playoff rotation.
Now that she is a member of the Golden State Valkyries, the Lynx have to replace her production, which mostly likely means that Diamond Miller will have to step up. Talent is not the problem here. Miller was the third overall pick in 2023 for a reason and has the highest ceiling out of the Lynx’s three young players. In her rookie season, she looked good, averaging 12.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
The problem has been injuries. In 2024, Miller only played 21 games and struggled to claim a spot in the rotation, averaging only 2.9 points, and 1.8 rebounds in 10 minutes per game. She only played four total playoff minutes.
Now that the Lynx do not have Zandalasini anymore, the pressure on Miller to be healthy and able to play significant minutes on the wing is much higher. The Lynx need strong play to back up Bridget Carleton and Napheesa Collier, the Lynx’s starting small forward and power forward. Alissa Pili will also have to show that she can help a WNBA team win, but the pressure on Miller will probably be higher. After all, she already got her first chance to play meaningful minutes as a rookie and now must prove that she can contribute to a contending team.
So, the Lynx may have avoided one problem—losing a player who could be a cornerstone for the team in the future—but will now have to see what their recent lottery picks can really do when called upon.