WNBA expansion draft: Which six players will be protected by every team?
With the Dallas Wings having won Sunday's WNBA draft lottery, the focus of the 12 existing teams now shifts toward a very different type of draft: the Golden State Valkyries expansion draft, the first in the WNBA since 2008.
Ahead of the Dec. 6 announcement of the draft results on ESPN, each current team has until Monday to submit a list of up to six protected players, including both those who finished the season on their roster and all others to whom the team holds rights.
The inclusion of player rights, most notably for draft picks who have yet to come to the WNBA and are "stashed" overseas, could produce interesting decisions on who teams will protect. Conversely, teams don't have to protect unrestricted free agents who have already played the maximum two years on contracts signed with the core designation, taking some of the league's biggest names off the table.
Golden State can choose one player from each team and only one total unrestricted free agent, who then becomes eligible to be designated a core player by the Valkyries. With those rules in mind, let's make a guess at which players each team will protect and who might be available for Golden State's inaugural roster.
Roster designationsbr/>DP: unsigned draft pickbr/>R: restricted free agentbr/>RS: reserved free agentbr/>S: suspended list and contract expiredbr/>U: unrestricted free agent
Projected protected:
Isabel Borlase (DP)
>Nyadiew Puoch (DP)
Projected unprotected:
>Maya Caldwell (RS)
>Maite Cazorla (S)
>Lorela Cubaj (RS)
>Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (U)
>Aerial Powers (U)
>Iliana Rupert (S)
>Matilde Villa (DP)
Ineligible: Tina Charles
None of the Dream's three 2024 draft picks joined the team, maintaining their rights but making them subject to the expansion draft. As a first-round pick, I'd give the 20-year-old Puoch the best chance of being protected alongside Atlanta's four eligible starters. I've given the last spot to Borlase -- another 20-year-old Australian drafted No. 20 -- over former first-round pick Rupert, for whom Atlanta has exclusive negotiating rights after she opted to sit out the 2024 season to play for France in the Olympics.
Chicago Sky
Projected protected:
>Chennedy Carter (R)
>Dana Evans (R)
>Michaela Onyenwere (R)
Projected unprotected:
>Maria Conde (DP)
>Isabelle Harrison (U)
>Nikolina Milic (RS)
>Diamond DeShields (U)
>Brianna Turner (U)
Protecting core players won't be a challenge for the Sky. In fact, Chicago has room to protect three restricted free agents in addition to promising young players Cardoso and Reese, andveteran Williams.After averaging a team-high 17.5 points last season, Carteris another easy choice, and Onyenwere has emerged as a starter.
Evans, another restricted free agent, fell out of favor under Teresa Weatherspoon but could have a new start with Tyler Marsh replacing Weatherspoon as coach. Meanwhile, the Valkyries drafting any of the Sky's veterans would add to their stockpile of cap space.
Projected protected:
>Veronica Burton (RS)
>DiJonai Carrington (R)
>Leila Lacan (DP)
>Alyssa Thomas (U)
Projected unprotected:
Caitlin Bickle (RS)
>Abbey Hsu (DP)
>Tiffany Mitchell (U)
>Astou Ndour-Fall (U)
Ineligible: DeWanna Bonner
>As compared to the other teams that reached the WNBA semifinals, Connecticut won't have as difficult of decisions to make about its protected list because both Bonner andBrionna Jones have exhausted their core years and are ineligible for the expansion draft. The Sun can protect all five other players who had at least 70 minutes of action in the playoffs as well as their 2024 first-round pick, French national team member Lacan.
The one question is whether Connecticut might choose reserve post Nelson-Ododa over Burton, but Burton's exclusive negotiating rights as a reserved player are valuable.
Dallas Wings
Projected protected list:
>Carla Leite (DP)
>Satou Sabally (U)
Projected unprotected list:
>Bella Alarie (S)
>Jaelyn Brown (RS)
>Awak Kuier (S)
>Paige Robinson (DP)
>Sevgi Uzun (RS)
Ineligible: Natasha Howard
Despite not having to protect Howard, the Wings will have to leave multiple recent first-round picks unprotected. Dallas will probably start by protecting the team's top five eligible players last season in minutes per game, including key reserve Siegrist. That leaves one spot between backup center Kalani Brown, part-time starting point guard Uzun, 2023 first-round picks Lopez Senechal and Soares,and last year's No. 9 pick, guard Leite from France. Of that group, I think the Wings are most likely to protect Leite -- particularly after winning the draft lottery and potentially landing UConn point guard Paige Bueckers to replace Uzun.
Projected protected list:
>Temi Fagbenle (R)
>Kelsey Mitchell (U)
Projected unprotected list:
>Erica Wheeler (U)
The decision for the Fever all comes down to the last spot alongside their five primary starters. You could make a case for Wallace,entering the final season of her rookie contract, or veteran Dantaswith a modest protected salary of $100,000. (All salary data via HerHoopStats.com.) I'd go with Fagbenle, who will be a restricted free agent after starting a game during the playoffs and surpassing Dantas in the rotation.
Projected protected list:
>Kelsey Plum (U)
Projected unprotected list:
>Alysha Clark (U)
>Sydney Colson (U)
>Queen Egbo (RS)
>Tiffany Hayes (U)
>Elizabeth Kitley (DP)
The Aces will quickly protect their four core players, including Plum, a likely candidate for the core designation as an unrestricted free agent. Rookie Martinhas a bargain minimum salary and would be tempting for the Valkyries, so I'd protect her next, leaving Las Vegas one spot. The Aces could protect Hayeson the off chance Golden State chooses her for the core designation, but I think Bell'srookie contract or Stokes(making $103,000, unprotected) would be more valuable to the Valkyries. I lean toward Stokes, Las Vegas' fifth starter, but could see this one going either way.
Projected protected list:
Julie Allemand
Projected unprotected list:
>Kia Nurse (U)
>Li Yueru (RS)
>Shaneice Swain (DP)
>Maria Vadeeva (S)
The Sparks signing so many veteran extensions in-season -- for Hamby, Stevens and Talbot-- made their expansion draft decisions trickier. Talbot in particular would not have been at risk to be selected as an unrestricted free agent but is now on a modest $125,000 salary, while Hamby and Stevens will need to be protected. Add in core pieces Brink and Jacksonand that leaves only two spots. I'd protect Burrell, a starter by season's end, and give the last spot to Allemand in the hopes she can return after sitting out last season because of injury. But that means exposing restricted free agentAari McDonald, reserved free agent Yueruand 2023 second-round pick Swain in addition to Talbot and Brown.
One note: Because Odyssey Sims finished the season on a hardship contract with Los Angeles, she is not eligible for the expansion draft, which also applies to teammate Crystal Dangerfield and Ezinne Kalu of the Atlanta Dream.
Projected protected list:
Projected unprotected list:
Olivia Epoupa (RS)
>Natisha Hiedeman (U)
>Myisha Hines-Allen (U)
>Maia Hirsch (DP)
>Jessica Shepard (S)
>Cecilia Zandalasini (RS)
The Lynx can protect the starting five that got within a bucket of the WNBA championship plus one additional player. From a value standpoint, Millerseems like an obvious choice as the No. 2 pick of the 2023 draft despite falling out of coach Cheryl Reeve's rotation after returning from arthroscopic knee surgery. But protecting her would leave exposed 2023 second-round pick Juhasz, who played key minutes in the WNBA Finals, plus 2024 first-rounder Pili.
There's also Shepard, who averaged 8.1 points and 7.1 rebounds in 2023 before sitting out last season because of the WNBA's prioritization rules. Teams are allowed to make trades with Golden State to pick a particular player, and Minnesota is a strong candidate for a deal.
Projected protected list:
>Breanna Stewart (U)
Projected unprotected list:
Kennedy Burke (U)
>Raquel Carrera (DP)
>Kaitlyn Davis (DP)
>Ivana Dojkic (RS)
>Marine Fauthoux (DP)
>Rebekah Gardner (RS)
>Han Xu (S)
>Marine Johannes (RS)
>Jaylyn Sherrod (RS)
>Courtney Vandersloot (U)
If you were going to bet on any team striking a deal with the Valkyries, the Liberty are the best choice. Not only does New York have to protect the core of the defending champs, the team's front office has worked hard to accumulate rights to a variety of potential contributors.
After protecting the team's five playoff starters, the Liberty have only one spot left for either Johannes -- a reserved free agent after sitting out the 2024 season to focus on playing for the French national team in the Olympics -- or key reserve Sabally. There's no room on the list for Thornton, who played 21 minutes in the deciding Game 5 of the Finals. New York also dealt for the rights to Gardner, who sat out last season because of an Achilles tear sustained overseas, with an eye toward adding her to the mix.
The Liberty can tempt Golden State with a stockpile of draft picks. New York would surely prefer to hang on to the No. 7 pick in next year's draft, acquired via swap with the Phoenix Mercury, but could offer its own first-rounder in 2026.
Projected protected list:
>Natasha Mack (RS)
>Diana Taurasi (U)
Projected unprotected list:
Amy Atwell (RS)
>Monique Billings (U)
>Mikiah Herbert Harrigan (RS)
>Klara Lundquist (S)
>Charisma Osborne (RS)
>Celeste Taylor (RS)
Ineligible: Brittney Griner
Because Grinerhas reached her maximum number of core years and is ineligible, Phoenix's decision should be pretty easy. The Mercury can protect all six other players who had more than 350 minutes of action last season. The one wild card is if Taurasihas already informed Phoenix she intends to retire, in which case the Mercury could potentially leave her unprotected and add Taylor --who averaged 20.1 minutes with the team -- to maintain her reserved rights.
Projected protected list:
>Gabby Williams (U)
Projected unprotected list:
Joyner Holmes (U)
>Mackenzie Holmes (DP)
>Mercedes Russell (U)
>Victoria Vivians (U)
>Sami Whitcomb (U)
Ineligible:Nneka Ogwumike
As the Storm have only five players under contract for 2025 and all of their other returning players are unrestricted free agents -- including Ogwumike, who is ineligible for the expansion draft -- they're in no danger of losing a key contributor to the expansion draft. Seattle can protect Williams, who might be a core target for the Valkyries, and choose between using the last spot on either second-round pick Muhl (who recently underwent surgery to repair ACL and meniscus tears) or third-round pick Holmes, who sat out the season to undergo knee surgery.
Projected protected list:
>Emily Engstler (RS)
Projected unprotected list:
Txell Alarcon (DP)
>Nastja Claessens (DP)
>Elena Delle Donne (U)
>Bernadett Hatar (RS)
>Li Meng (RS)
>Sug Sutton (RS)
>Julie Vanloo (RS)
For a team that missed the playoffs, the Mystics have a number of interesting players worth protecting. Starters Atkins, Austin and Sykesare obvious choices, as is last year's first-round pick, Edwards. Washington will also have to consider protecting Delle Donne after she sat out last season, if only to maintain her trade value.
Still, I'm giving a spot to Engstler, who was highly productive off the bench (15.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per 36 minutes) and is a reserved free agent. For the last spot, I'll go with Samuelson, who shot 40% on 3s and has a highly tradeable contract, over veteran center Dolson. But I could also see the Mystics protecting 22-year-old Kone, who showed promise after a midseason trade.
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