5 must-see WNBA games for the 2025 season
The WNBA released its 2025 schedule, and we’re already looking forward to Chicago-Indiana, Paige Bueckers’ debut, and a Liberty-Lynx finals rematch.
Sports Seriously
The Golden State Valkyries, the WNBA’s newest franchise, will begin assembling their roster with the expansion draft.
The Valkyries, the league’s 13th franchise, will begin play in the 2025 season, which tips off in May. The first step, however, begins today with the expansion draft. Golden State will select players from the 12 other franchises that have not been protected or cored by those teams, but the Valkyries cannot draft more than one player from any given team.
While it is highly unlikely that the biggest stars will be available, some notable players – former starters or major impact role players – could find themselves changing teams today.
USA TODAY Sports will have live coverage of the WNBA expansion draft this afternoon and evening. Follow along for updates.
When is Golden State Valkyries WNBA expansion draft?
The WNBA expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries will take place Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
How to watch Golden State Valkyries WNBA expansion draft
The WNBA expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries will be broadcast on ESPN.
Watch the WNBA expansion draft with a Fubo subscription
Leading up to Friday’s expansion draft, each of the 12 current WNBA teams submitted a roster list to the league in late November that highlighted every player the team has rights to. Each team can designate up to six protected players on their roster, making them ineligible for selection by Golden State. Any player under a core designation — comparable to the NFL’s franchise tag — is also ineligible for selection. Every other player is fair game for the Valkyries to select in the expansion draft.
The Valkyries can select one available player from each of the 12 teams, regardless of position. (Golden State can also choose not to select a player from a team, if desired.) The field of available players will include unrestricted free agents, but the Valkyries can only pick up one unrestricted free agent across the entire league.
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.
