The Golden State Valkyries, a WNBA expansion team, are set to begin play in 2025. First, though, they must draft players for the team. So when is the Valkyries' WNBA expansion draft?
When is the expansion draft?
According to Alexa Philippou of ESPN, the draft will be held on December 6. The draft will give the Valkyries a chance to build a competitive roster.
Each WNBA team will be able to protect up to six players. As a result, the Valkyries should have a respectable amount of players to select from. Philippou reports that the deadline to submit the protected player list will be 10 days before the draft.
With the draft scheduled for December, teams will be able to take a look at their rosters and make the decision before submitting the list. Of course, a number of players could move during the offseason, something that will surely impact which players end up getting protected in the draft.
WNBA continues to expand
The Valkyries are the WNBA's 13th franchise. The league has other teams scheduled to join the league in the coming years as the WNBA looks to continue its growth.
It goes without saying, but 2024 was a terrific year for that growth. The WNBA broke attendance records given the new hype around the league. Now is the perfect time for the WNBA to go all in on expansion.
It will be intriguing to see how aggressive the league is when it comes to expansion within the next few years. In 2024, the WNBA only had 12 teams. However, three new teams will join over the next couple of seasons, as a Toronto and Portland franchise are also set to join as expansion teams.
The league, including the expansion franchises, is at 15 teams. One has to imagine that they want an even number, so another franchise may be announced before too long.
For now, the league will focus on preparing for the Golden State Valkyries' expansion draft for the 2025 season.