The best player from each team who might be unprotected in WNBA Expansion Draft

The WNBA is set to get shaken up a bit this winter, as the Golden State Valkyries will take part in the league's Expansion Draft for the 2025 season on Dec. 6.

For the uninitiated, here's a quick rundown of how the draft will work: All 12 current teams are allowed to protect up to six players each, with every player not protected becoming eligible for selection. (In addition to players currently on their rosters, teams will also be allowed to protect players whose rights they held as of the end of the 2024 season, removing most pending free agents from the pool.) The Valkyries, for their part, will be allowed to pick a maximum of one player from each team, along with one unrestricted free agent. (Selecting a UFA is unlikely, though, as they'd immediately have to sign that player to the supermax rather than negotiating for less on the open market.) Golden State can also negotiate a trade with any team in exchange for not drafting one of that team's unprotected players.

While those restrictions mean that stars like Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart aren't about to be changing teams, the depth of talent in the W means that there will still be plenty of intriguing names on the board for the Valkyries to choose from. Below, we've selected one name from each team likely to be unprotected and likely to interest Golden State.

Atlanta Dream: Haley Jones

Jones has yet to turn her draft pedigree into star-level production, but she's proven to be a capable all-around player at the WNBA level, with high basketball IQ, a versatile offensive skill set and excellent rebounding and defense for her position. Atlanta boasts enviable backcourt depth, which means Jones could be left unprotected after averaging 3.9 points over 40 games last season. Add in a team-friendly contract and the fact that Jones is a San Jose native and Stanford alum, and there's a lot to like here.

Chicago Sky: Diamond DeShields

Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso and Chennedy Carter are the foundation for Chicago, and they're not going anywhere. Beyond that, there aren't a ton of names that jump out. DeShields, however, could be a sneaky buy-low: She was once a double-digit scorer before being waylaid by injuries, and she could be available after scoring just 4.5 points per game last season.

Connecticut Sun: Olivia Nelson-Ododa

Tiffany Mitchell's status remains up in the air, but if the Sun keep her, that would likely leave Nelson-Ododa as the odd player out. The UConn product is a very limited offensive player, but at 6-foot-5, she brings legitimate size and rim protection that fits on just about every team — and is an excellent foundation when trying to build a defense from scratch.

Dallas Wings: Kalani Brown

If the Valkyries aren't interested in Nelson-Ododa, how about Brown? The 6-foot-7 center was a key role player around stars like Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally and Natasha Howard, averaging 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds to go with 0.6 blocks and yeowoman's work on the defensive end. If the Valkyries are looking for more playmaking, they could opt for Turkey's Sevgi Uzun, who brings intriguing point-forward potential.

Indiana Fever: Lexie Hull

With all apologies to Clark, her drive-thru buddy might be moving on this winter. The Stanford product was a starter in the postseason, but with Clark and Kelsey Mitchell locks for protection, Indiana might look at other positions for their remaining spots. Their loss would be Golden State's gain, as Hull is a former top-10 pick who shot 44.1% from the field this season and does a little bit of everything.

Las Vegas Aces: Kiah Stokes

The Aces might have the deepest roster in the W, which means that whichever direction they go, someone very talented is going to slip through the cracks. That might be Kate Martin, but the bet here is that Vegas chooses to hold on to its second-round pick from this year's draft. If that is in fact the case, Stokes could be available, and it'd be hard to turn down a rock-solid center who spent long stretches as a starter for a championship squad.

Los Angeles Sparks: Zia Cooke

Cooke is on an unprotected deal, and she's buried a bit behind Kia Nurse, Lexie Brown and Rae Burrell. But she's still young, a top-10 draft pick just two years ago, and she's exactly the sort of guard you'd expect to come out of Dawn Staley's South Carolina. She's not going to be a lead ballhandler, but she's tenacious at the point of attack and a smart player.

Minnesota Lynx: Alissa Pili

Pili's exactly the sort of player for whom the expansion draft was created: Taken No. 8 overall out of Utah in this year's draft, she can score in a ton of different ways with solid defense to boot, but she's gotten lost in the shuffle a bit on a loaded Lynx roster. Many of the names above are (very good) role players, but if the Valkyries are looking to swing for the fences a bit, Pili is a player who could blossom into a legit lead scorer.

New York Liberty: Kayla Thornton

Even if Courtney Vandersloot remains unprotected, she's 35 and set to enter free agency anyway. Nyara Sabally has started to realize some of her massive potential as this season has progressed. That doesn't leave us with a ton of options, so we'll go with Thornton, who could slot in as a 3-and-D option on the wing.

Phoenix Mercury: Mikiah Herbert Harrigan

Herbert Harrigan hardly played in the Mercury's first-round loss to the Lynx, and Phoenix seems to have its sights set on getting bigger and more physical in the frontcourt. But she was a fan favorite at South Carolina, and she flashed some offensive upside as a rookie with Seattle before spending the better part of the last four years playing in Europe. Speaking of 3-and-D archetypes, they didn't call her Mad Kiki in Columbia for nothing.

Seattle Storm: Nika Muhl

Muhl was among the most impressive players in last year's NCAA Tournament, a constant pest on defense — Caitlin Clark was very happy to see her and the Huskies go — and a connector on offense who was a critical piece of UConn's run to the Final Four. She was buried on a veteran-heavy Storm squad this season, averaging just 3.6 minutes over 16 games played, but she should be a starter in the league for a long time based on her IQ and toughness alone.

Washington Mystics: Karlie Samuelson

This assumes that Washington keeps Elena Delle Donne, who at the very least would be a valuable trade chip if she decides to play in 2025. If that is in fact the case, Samuelson could find herself unprotected after averaging a career-best 8.4 points per game this season. She's a knock-down shooter with enough juice on defense, and that's a valuable player for any team to have.