The Golden State Valkyries already had to make some cruel preseason cuts, waiving Miela Sowah, Ashlon Jackson, Mariella Fasoula, Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, Cate Reese, and Marta Suarez in one big roster purge. The last one, especially, left fans frustrated since the Valkyries traded Flau’jae Johnson for Suarez on draft night. If she clears waivers, Suarez could be a candidate for a development spot, though.
Even after all of those cuts, the Valkyries still have 13 players on the roster and will have to make one more cut. The way the roster is currently constructed, fan favorites Kaitlyn Chen, Kate Martin, and Laeticia Amihere are the three players most likely at risk of being waived.
The Valkyries roster is taking shape
The Valkyries gave guaranteed contracts to Tiffany Hayes, Kayla Thornton, Veronica Burton, Kaila Charles, Gabby Williams, and Kiah Stokes. That’s six players they won’t waive.
Iliana Rupert, Janelle Salaün, and Cecilia Zandalasini were all big parts of last season’s success and should take up three more roster spots. Juste Jocyte, who was the Valkyries’ first-ever first-round draft pick, should also have a roster spot waiting for her. The Valkyries wouldn’t have used that pick on her and waited a year to not give her a season to show what she can do.
That leaves two roster spots and three players: Martin, Amihere, and Chen. The Valkyries haven’t filled their two development spots yet. Signing that deal would be better than just being left without a WNBA contract—for Martin and Chen, Amihere won’t be eligible as a fourth-year player—but it would be a disappointment for players who were often in the regular-season rotation last year and for fans who want to see their favorites play as often as possible.
The Valkyries could use all three
If we look at the ten players who are most likely to be on the Valkyries’ final roster, we see a few players who can handle the ball and make plays for their teammates, but only one true point guard. The Valkyries have no positional depth behind Burton, which should give Chen a pretty good shot at a roster spot.
The roster also doesn’t feature a ton of size in the frontcourt. Iliana Rupert is the tallest player on the roster at 6’4”. Kiah Stokes is listed as 6’3”. If just one of them suffers an injury or gets into foul trouble, the Valkyries would very quickly be very undersized. So, having Amihere, who is 6’3” and incredibly athletic, could be very useful.
But a team that shoots as many threes and relies as much on defense as the Valkyries could also use Martin’s 3-and-D skillset on the wing. Nevertheless, Martin could be the odd one out despite her solid performances last season and fit in the Valkyries’s system just because the team already features several players who can bring a very similar skillset to the table.
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