The expansion Golden State Valkyries took the WNBA by surprise last year, finishing with a record above .500 and making the playoffs.
Their second season, which begins Friday at the Seattle Storm, is off to a head-scratching start.
On draft night, the Valkyries sent the rights to the No. 8 pick, LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, to Seattle for the rights to the No. 16 pick, TCU’s Marta Suarez, and a second-round pick in 2028.
While Johnson appears to be one of the cornerstones for the rebuilding Storm, the Valkyries waived Suarez last week.
Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said the trade was made to maintain cap flexibility.
“We thought we had the opportunity to potentially sign another athlete,” Nyanin said at the team’s media day Tuesday.
The Valkyries’ biggest offseason move might have come the day before the draft, when they signed All-Star forward Gabby Williams, who is coming off a career year in Seattle. Williams averaged career-highs in points (11.6), assists (4.2), steals (2.3) and free-throw percentage (85.3) and was third in the league’s Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Golden State will also count on the veteran trio of Veronica Burton, Tiffany Hayes and Kayla Thornton.
“We’re hungrier even more (than last year) because we got a taste of the playoffs,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “It’s another reason we wanted to bring back our core — we thought we were in a good spot after last year. Our whole locker room right now is hungry. I want to win. I want to win at any cost.”
The Storm not only bid farewell to Williams in the offseason, but also fellow starters Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, Brittney Sykes and Erica Wheeler. That quintet accounted for 67.5 points per game last season, or 82% of the team’s scoring.
Seattle’s revamped roster under first-year coach Sonia Raman will eventually feature Johnson and No. 3 overall pick Awa Fam, as well as returnees Ezi Magbegor, Dominique Malonga and Jordan Horston.
Magbegor is expected to miss the opening month with a right foot injury sustained while playing for Australia, Fam is finishing her season in Spain and Horston is coming off an ACL injury that cost her all last season.
“It’s next player up,” said Raman, who was an assistant with the New York Liberty last season. “That’s always how it is.”
–Field Level Media
