The Golden State Valkyries are set to play the Atlanta Dream on Monday night. Guard Carla Leite has been dealing with a back injury, however. According to Nathan Canilao, though, Leite has been upgraded to questionable for Monday's contest. Canilao reports that Leite has missed five consecutive games, so her status upgrade is important without question.
Regardless of whether or not Leite plays on Monday, she is seemingly trending in the right direction. The Valkyries would love to have the guard available against a talented Dream squad, though. Atlanta's 11-7 record is good for second place in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the 12-6 New York Liberty.
As for Golden State, the Valkyries are 9-8 and in fourth place in the Western Conference. It has been an impressive first season in the WNBA for the expansion team. Golden State looks like a true postseason contender. Players such as Leite stepping up has been a recipe for success.
The 21-year-old was previously with the Dallas Wings, but she never played a game in Dallas. Leite spent the 2024 season playing overseas. She likely would have joined the Wings for the '25 campaign, but instead was selected by Golden State in the expansion draft.
She has played an important role in her first WNBA campaign. Leite has appeared in 12 total games, drawing three starts along the way. The guard is averaging 6.9 points, 2.2 assists and 1.3 rebounds per outing while recording 16.7 minutes per contest. Leite is shooting 40.3 percent from the field as well.
Leite, who is from France, could factor into Golden State's long-term plans. She is a young guard with a bright future at the WNBA level. At the moment, the Valkyries are strictly focused on ensuring that Leite is healthy enough to return for Monday's outing.
The team will provide further updates ahead of tip-off.
The game projects to be exciting. Both Atlanta and Golden State have exceeded preseason expectations. They are arguably two of the biggest surprises in the league this year. Will the Valkyries continue to find success in their first season as an expansion team? It is certainly possible, as they have played well as a unit up to this point.
The Dream will host the Valkyries at 7:30 PM EST on Monday evening. Following the game, the Valkyries will travel to Indiana to play the Fever on Wednesday before finishing their current road trip in Las Vegas against the Aces on Saturday afternoon.