Sports
What to expect next from the Golden State Valkyries after WNBA expansion draft
The Golden State Valkyries have taken their first steps toward building a roster for their inaugural season in 2025, and Friday’s expansion draft suggests there will be significantly more turnover for them in the near future.
General manager Ohemaa Nyanin and head coach Natalie Nakase emphasized the competitiveness of the group they drafted, and combined with owner Joe Lacob’s goal of winning a title within five years, there is a desire to be good now. The consequence of selecting a group ready to contend in 2025 means that it’s difficult to see the long-term vision of this particular set of 11 players.
For starters, Golden State drafted a veteran-heavy group, as seven of its 11 picks are at least 27 years old, which was the average age across the WNBA in 2024. Two are signed through 2025 while the remainder are up for new contracts. That leaves the Valkyries at a bit of a disadvantage in roster-building for the future because they don’t have extended team control of those players.
Introducing your first-ever Golden State Valkyries. This is just the beginning of our journey.
Expansion Draft presented by @CarMax. pic.twitter.com/8WU5mOYGRy
— Golden State Valkyries (@wnbagoldenstate) December 7, 2024
That situation is partly out of Golden State’s control; only two veterans (i.e., players not on rookie contracts) league-wide are signed past the 2025 season as players seek to maintain their freedom before the implementation of a new collective bargaining agreement. But the Valkyries not only selected players who have short contracts, but also internationals who have had sporadic relationships with the WNBA.
Julie Vanloo was a 31-year-old rookie in 2024. Temi Fagbenle had a four-year gap from the WNBA from 2020 to 2023. Cecilia Zandalasini was out of the league for five years before returning to Minnesota this season. Iliana Rupert has missed two of the last four WNBA seasons due to national team commitments. Maria Conde has never played for the WNBA despite being drafted in 2019, and she told The Athletic that playing for Spain would always be her priority during the summer. Golden State is taking a risk that these players will be available and willing to play despite a track record that suggests otherwise.
The first question Nyanin addressed in her news conference Friday was about Conde, and Nyanin admitted that she does not know if the Spanish national will come stateside in 2025. Conversations are necessary with her, Carla Leite and the aforementioned European players, especially since EuroBasket starts on June 18, 2025, and lasts for two weeks. The Valkyries are mostly starting from scratch, too. For instance, when Zandalasini came back to the Lynx, it helped that Cheryl Reeve was still the coach. Other than Rupert and Nakase, who were both in Las Vegas in 2022, there aren’t many established relationships with these players.
“This entire process is complex, there’s a lot of unknown, and I will say that ad nauseam, unfortunately,” Nyanin said. “I’m looking at it from the human perspective, like what can we continue to express to these athletes that make them want to come and play in this Valkyrie violet and black and white.”
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Golden State also seemingly prioritized win-now players over younger ones who might take time to develop. Only one of their selections is under a rookie contract, and though Kate Martin projects to be a fine player, she doesn’t necessarily have star upside. The Valkyries likely could have taken swings on players such as Alissa Pili (Lynx), Shaneice Swain (Sparks draftee) or Han Xu (Liberty) but chose to take known quantities in Zandalasini, Stephanie Talbot (Sparks) and Kayla Thornton (Liberty). Washington likely had an even longer list of young players unprotected, and Golden State went with the 31-year-old Vanloo despite also drafting Veronica Burton (Wings) and Leite at point guard.
“These are players that are hungry. … They’re players that could have started on other teams,” Nakase said about their veterans. “I’m just really excited to give them the opportunity.”
These decisions make sense for the 2025 iteration of the Valkyries. Establishing a culture of competitiveness right away might be the most prudent move for an expansion team. Win now, develop a reputation and become an attractive free-agent destination. Golden State’s expansion selections are also high-character veterans who could be valuable recruiting tools during the offseason.
The Valkyries also aren’t bound to keep any of these players. They can assemble an entirely new roster in free agency. Thornton and Talbot are also on easily tradable contracts if another team is interested.
Regardless of what path Golden State pursues from here, it’s also true that the Valkyries punted on an opportunity to build for the future with younger players. They don’t have a deep pool of young talent from this draft. That doesn’t preclude long-term success, but it does mean the front office will have to keep turning over this roster, as veterans tend to move more frequently than players on rookie deals.
As a result, for all the excitement surrounding this crop of Golden State Valkyries, it would be surprising if the majority of them suited up on May 16. Setting aside the uncertainty regarding player availability, Golden State still needs to figure out a direction for its roster, which will require more maneuvering. The Valkyries have only just begun.
(Photo of Chiney Ogwumike and Natalie Nakase: Mike Rasay / NBAE via Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns, rumored to be willing to trade down from their No. 6 overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, did just that Thursday evening when the traded the pick to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Cleveland traded the sixth overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft to the Chiefs, in exchange for the ninth overall pick, as well as pick No. 74 in the third round and No. 148 in the fifth round.
The Browns now hold the No. 9 and No. 24 picks in the first round of the draft. They have a total of 11 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns watch from the sidelines during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Sept. 7, 2025. (Jason Miller/Getty Images)
So the Chiefs gave up three picks in making the first trade of the first round.
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And we know what the fan bases of both clubs were thinking prior to the selection:
Chiefs fans were thinking we know something they don’t. And then the Chiefs selected cornerback Mansoor Delane from LSU — a move no doubt forced by the club’s trade of Pro Bowl cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Los Angeles Rams earlier in the offseason.
So, the Chiefs fill a major need, assuming Delane is indeed the quality corner they believe.
LSU Tigers CB Mansoor Delane celebrates a defensive stop against the Clemson Tigers at Memorial Stadium in South Carolina. (Ken Ruinard/USA TODAY Network)
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ESPN’s Mel Kiper didn’t like the pick, by the way. He had Delane as the 14th best player in the draft.
“It was a necessity,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, a former NFL defensive back, responded.
Browns fans weren’t thinking that way.
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They were probably thinking something akin to “We screwed up.”
This is understandable because they’re Browns fans and this could have been the Browns Browning.
Well, the Browns, moving down three slots, gave up a shot to draft linebacker Sonny Styles of Ohio State to the Washington Commanders, receiver Jordyn Tyson to the New Orleans Saints and then the Browns got their chance with the newly acquired No. 9 pick:
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Offensive tackle Spencer Fano of Utah.
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind., on Feb. 24, 2026. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
Fano is good. And he makes the Browns offensive line instantly better because he’s going to likely start at left tackle for them.
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So what will Browns fans think of this pick?
They’ll probably wonder why the Browns didn’t pick Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, who went with the No. 10 pick to the New York Giants and promised “to die for” Jaxson Dart if necessary. They’ll wonder this because Browns fans expect the worst.
UCLA women’s basketball team has added some star power as its revamped roster begins to take shape.
Former Iowa State forward Addy Brown announced Thursday she is committing to UCLA, giving the Bruins one of the top players in the portal.
Brown averaged 11.9 points, 8.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 43.1% from the floor and 33.8% from three-point distance with the Cyclones last season. She played just 21 games due to injury, but she is one of the better two-way players in the nation on the transfer market.
The 6-foot-2 forward co-starred with Audi Crooks for Iowa State the past few seasons and was a part of the mass exodus from the Cyclones’ program.
The Bruins reeled in former North Carolina junior guard Elina Aarnisalo and former Texas Christian senior guard Donovyn Hunter a few weeks ago, adding two more experienced players to the depleted starting lineup after a record six UCLA players were selected in the WNBA draft.
UCLA also signed Arkansas sophomore guard Bonnie Deas earlier this month. She is likely to start at point guard for the Bruins and is one of the best rebounding guards in the nation.
Along with returner Timea Gardiner, the Bruins are starting to form somewhat of a core to defend their national championship. Gardiner was a starter during UCLA’s 2024-25 Final Four run, but missed all of this past season with injury and has one season of eligibility left.
A lineup with Deas and Aarnisalo in the backcourt, Hunter at the three and Gardiner or Brown at the four and adding another big or Sienna Betts at the five would be a competitive lineup in the Big Ten.
Before going to TCU, Hunter played two seasons at Oregon State where she earned All-Pac-12 Defensive Team honorable mention and All-Pac-12 Freshman team honors. This past season with a Horned Frogs team that went to the Sweet 16, she was third in scoring with 10.2 points per game and averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. She also shot 45.7% from the field and was 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Aarnisalo played her freshman year in Westwood after she originally committed to UCLA in 2025. Due to injuries from point guard Kiki Rice at the start of the 2024-25 season, she was forced into action early her freshman season and finished the year averaging 5.1 points per game.
The Helsinki, Finland, native averaged 10.2 points per game for the Tar Heels as a sophomore last season while shooting 47.3% from the field and 40.3% from the arc. The Bruins will desperately need to replace the three-point production lost with the departure of Rice, Gianna Kneepkens and Charlisse Leger-Walker.
UCLA coach Cori Close said she wanted to sign five players from the portal. She probably needs one more guard and a little more forward depth coming off the bench following the departures of Gabriela Jaquez and Angela Dugalic.
Lena Bilic and Amanda Muse are returners coming off the bench who got a little bit of playing time in the tournament and should have much larger roles, but they are still relatively unproven in late-game situations. They will get a chance to develop as backups with some more Power Four experienced starters now in the fold.
Trump says there’s ‘no time frame’ to secure Iran deal
Republican Minnesota Senate candidate Tom Weiler joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss President Donald Trump’s blockade in the Strait of Hormuz as the U.S.-Iranian conflict continues and react to Gov. Tim Walz’s, D-Minn., criticism of the president.
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Saudi Arabia was among the countries seeing missiles fly into their airspace as a conflict broke out in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.
The prospect of Iran targeting its Middle Eastern neighbors like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates put some sporting events on hold and questioned others. Formula 1 races in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were canceled and rumors swirled around whether future WWE events could be held in the kingdom.
Roman Reigns celebrates his win during WWE’s Royal Rumble at Riyadh Season Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
As the Trump administration brokered a ceasefire with Iran, WWE announced on Thursday that its Night of Champions premium live event will be held in Riyadh on June 27.
“We are proud to welcome Night of Champions back to Riyadh and look forward to delivering another unforgettable night of WWE action for fans in the Kingdom and around the world,” General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Al-Sheikh said in a news release.
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Sami Zayn makes his entrance during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
The release touted that WrestleMania 43 will still be held in Riyadh in 2027. It will be the first time that WrestleMania is held outside the U.S.
WWE president Nick Khan was adamant before WrestleMania 42 that the event will still take place in Saudi Arabia despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“We’re doing WrestleMania next year in Saudi,” he said at a Sports Business Journal event, via The Sporting Tribune. “First time ever, WrestleMania will be outside the United States or Canada. And we’ve had a big, fruitful partnership with them.”
John Cena wrestles CM Punk during Night of Champions at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June 28, 2025. (Georgiana Dallas/WWE)
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He added that those complaining about WrestleMania being held in Saudi Arabia were a “vocal minority.”
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