So first, there will be no good players in the draft because no team in the league has seven players who are starting-level talent.
That said, teams must protect their unrestricted free agents who can be cored (that is, forced to sign with their existing team for a max contract, which is about $250,000). If they don't protect them, Golden State can draft one of them (from the entire league) and core them. Even then, the other UFAs could be pursued by the Valkyries in the free agent period, in February.
The big names:
Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas): Don't think Vegas will core her, but they will likely protect her. If not, available for GS at the max.
Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana): Will be protected and unlikely to leave a perfect situation for an expansion team. But you never know ...
Breanna Stewart (New York): Grew up in New York, on a great team. And will be protected.
Courtney Vandersloot (New York): Might not be protected, as GS would have to core her and pay her the max, which she is no longer worth. The Liberty have the only roster with a strong player who will be available for the draft.
Satou Sabally (Dallas): Will be protected, but Dallas is awful.
Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut): Will be protected, but she and DeWanna Bonner (her partner) could conceivably come west in February. Bonner is an uncoreable (been cored before) free agent.
The biggest name out there for GS is an uncoreable free agent who cannot be negotiated with until January, and that's Nneka Ogwuminke. Seattle is aging and didn't play up to potential.
Golden State has no bad contracts, an empty salary cap and could sign a few UFAs in 2025. That includes the ones who are protected in the draft and the uncored UFAs:
Bonner
Brionna Jones (Con)
Tina Charles (Atl): Please no
Natasha Howard (Dal)
The expansion draft will be about which UFA Golden State drafts and cores, if there is one available. Otherwise, it will be a lot of people most casual fans have never heard of. (Jaelyn Brown will be available, very likely.)
The rest of the draftable players will be fungible with available free agents in 2025. Some will make the team, but are unlikely to be difference-makers.
That said, teams must protect their unrestricted free agents who can be cored (that is, forced to sign with their existing team for a max contract, which is about $250,000). If they don't protect them, Golden State can draft one of them (from the entire league) and core them. Even then, the other UFAs could be pursued by the Valkyries in the free agent period, in February.
The big names:
Kelsey Plum (Las Vegas): Don't think Vegas will core her, but they will likely protect her. If not, available for GS at the max.
Kelsey Mitchell (Indiana): Will be protected and unlikely to leave a perfect situation for an expansion team. But you never know ...
Breanna Stewart (New York): Grew up in New York, on a great team. And will be protected.
Courtney Vandersloot (New York): Might not be protected, as GS would have to core her and pay her the max, which she is no longer worth. The Liberty have the only roster with a strong player who will be available for the draft.
Satou Sabally (Dallas): Will be protected, but Dallas is awful.
Alyssa Thomas (Connecticut): Will be protected, but she and DeWanna Bonner (her partner) could conceivably come west in February. Bonner is an uncoreable (been cored before) free agent.
The biggest name out there for GS is an uncoreable free agent who cannot be negotiated with until January, and that's Nneka Ogwuminke. Seattle is aging and didn't play up to potential.
Golden State has no bad contracts, an empty salary cap and could sign a few UFAs in 2025. That includes the ones who are protected in the draft and the uncored UFAs:
Bonner
Brionna Jones (Con)
Tina Charles (Atl): Please no
Natasha Howard (Dal)
The expansion draft will be about which UFA Golden State drafts and cores, if there is one available. Otherwise, it will be a lot of people most casual fans have never heard of. (Jaelyn Brown will be available, very likely.)
The rest of the draftable players will be fungible with available free agents in 2025. Some will make the team, but are unlikely to be difference-makers.
