The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA's 13th franchise, will hit the court for the first time once the 2025 season tips off.
They have a general manager in Ohemaa Nyanin. They have a head coach in Natalie Nakase. But they don't have any players... yet.
The WNBA's expansion draft where Golden State will start to fill out its roster will take place on Dec. 6. All other WNBA teams are able to submit a list of up to six protected players comprised of those who finished last season on their roster and others whose player rights they currently own.
Before the draft, the league posted guidelines it will follow, which are included below:
What are the 2024 WNBA Expansion Draft Rules?
The Valkyries will be able to draft from a designated pool of available players, which is determined by the other 12 teams in the league. Each existing team is required to submit a roster list that includes every player to whom the team has rights.
The deadline for the roster list submission was on Nov. 25. It's believed that the protected/unprotected roster lists won't be made available publicly.
Each team's submitted roster list will be required to designate a maximum of six protected players who will not be available for selection in the expansion draft. All other players on each team's roster list are eligible for the Valkyries to select.
Golden State will then have the opportunity to acquire the contract or negotiating rights to one player from each of the other 12 teams. The Valkyries are only able to select one player from across the entire league who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2024 season.
Golden State is also able to make trades with existing teams between the time that roster lists are submitted and a designated time the day before the expansion draft. This allows the Valkyries to acquire additional assets in exchange for not taking an available player from another team, potentially.
The Valkyries will also build their roster through the traditional WNBA draft which takes place in April. They were awarded the fifth pick in all three rounds of the draft. The No. 5 overall pick lands just outside of the WNBA's lottery system.
The league released an FAQ page on the expansion draft which can be found here.
How to Watch the 2024 WNBA Expansion Draft
The expansion draft will be held on Dec. 6 and will air on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. ET where the results, and the first players to wear a Valkyries uniform, will be made public. Viewers can stream the broadcast on ESPN.com and the ESPN app, too.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Golden State Valkyries' WNBA Expansion Draft: Where to Watch and Full Rules.
