The WNBA will be having an expansion draft in each of the next two years, as the Golden State Valkyries are set to join the league in 2025, while new franchises in Portland and Toronto will bring the league to 15 teams in 2026.
For months, the WNBA had not offered any details on what the expansion drafts will look like, but on Monday we finally got the details on how the league will handle the 2025 version that the Valkyries will use to build out their inaugural roster. It’s possible that there will be different parameters used in 2026, as there will be two teams picking players, but we can at least know how the Valkyries roster will be built and what avenues they’ll have to add players and make moves. Here, we’ll go through everything we know from the WNBA’s release on the upcoming expansion draft.
When is the Valkyries expansion draft?
Friday, December 6, and it will be broadcast on ESPN.
How many players can each team protect?
The 12 current teams can protect six players on their roster, meaning half of each team’s roster will be available for the Valkryies to choose from. Teams will have to decide who to protect from their full list of players they have rights to as of the final day of the regular season. The teams will have to submit their list of protected players approximately 10 days before the draft starts.
How many players from each team can the Valkyries draft?
The Valkyries will only be able to select one player from each team, meaning they cannot pick all six players eligible from the Aces to fill out their roster.
Can the Valkyries draft free agents?
Yes, but they would only get the rights to that player that their current team has. The Valkyries can also only select one unrestricted free agent in the expansion draft, provided they have not been on a Core contract for two or more seasons. If they do select an unrestricted free agent, they can use the Core Player provision on them in January, which gives them exclusive negotiating rights with that player — while guaranteeing an offer of a 1-year, max contract for the player.
Can the Valkyries make trades before the expansion draft?
Yes. Once the roster lists are submitted, the Valkyries will be able to negotiate trades with other teams up until a designated time on expansion draft day. They will be allowed to make trade agreements to select a certain player in the expansion draft and trade them to another team, or to make deals to select (or not select) certain players from a team they’re making a trade with.
Do the Valkyries have to build their full roster from the expansion draft?
No. They can pick a player from each team if they wanted to fill out a 12-player roster, but they’ll also have draft picks (still TBD on where they’ll be picking) and can sign players in free agency. The most likely scenario is the Valkyries leave the expansion draft with just a portion of their roster filled out.