The Golden State Valkyries are preparing for their first WNBA Draft. After building a roster through the expansion draft and free agency, the team will now see what it can do with the No. 5 pick in April's WNBA Draft.
How have previous expansion teams fared in the WNBA Draft? It's a bit of a mixed bag, mostly trending toward "not great!," but can Golden State change that in 2025?
Here is a brief history of how past expansion teams have done in their first draft and how that worked out for the team. Shout out to Across The Timeline for having detailed information about all the draft pick trades that have taken place in league history!
2008: Atlanta Dream - Tamera Young
The Dream actually traded their original first-rounder in 2008, the No. 4 pick that was eventually used by the Detroit Shock to draft Alexis Hornbuckle. The team ended up picking at No. 8, grabbing James Madison guard Tamera Young.
Young would spend her rookie season with the Dream, averaging 7.3 points per game, but her time in Atlanta would be short-lived as she was traded in 2009 to the Chicago Sky in a midseason deal that landed Armintie Herrington in Atlanta.
2006: Chicago Sky - Candice Dupree
The Sky held the No. 6 pick in 2006, drafting Temple forward Candice Dupree. Dupree went on to have a long career in the WNBA, though only a small portion of it was spent in Chicago.
Dupree played four seasons with the Sky, making three All-Star appearances, but in 2010 she was traded as part of a three-team deal that sent her to the Phoenix Mercury. Dupree would win a championship there in 2014.
2000: Indiana Fever - N/A
We've reached the big one. In 2000, the WNBA added four different expansion teams, two of which — the Fever and Storm — are still around the league. Maybe that's a sign that the league went a little overboard with that expansion? Anyway, no need to wax on about the league's past mistakes. Let's just look at how the draft went for each team, starting with the Fever.
The Fever originally had the No. 10 pick, but that was traded to the Miami Sol in December 1999 in an interesting deal. Miami got the pick and Sandy Brondello. The Fever got Stephanie White — yes, the same Stephanie White who is now the team's head coach. She played four seasons for Indiana, but never averaged more than 7.2 points per game.
2000: Miami Sol - N/A
The 2000 WNBA Draft was a wild one for the Miami Sol and they didn't even make a first-round selection. Originally slated to pick at No. 8, that pick was traded in December 1999 to the Utah Starzz. Meanwhile, Miami picked up a first rounder from fellow expansion team Indiana in the Stephanie White-Sandy Brondello trade, but that pick was traded as well, part of a draft night deal that sent the pick to Minnesota in exchange for Marlies Askamp, who started 32 games in her first season with the Sol but didn't make a huge impact on the team.
2000: Portland Fire - Lynn Pride
Ahh, finally, a 2000 expansion team that actually made a first-round pick. At No. 7 overall, the Portland Fire took Kansas guard Lynn Pride.
Pride played in Portland for one year, averaging 14.4 minutes per game with averages of 3.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. She was traded to the Lynx in 2001.
2000: Seattle Storm - Kamila Vodichkova
The Storm used the No. 9 pick on Kamila Vodichkova, a forward from the Czech Republic. Vodichkova won a championship with the Storm in 2004, starting all 34 games that season for the team.
Vodichkova was never a star, but she was an important piece for Seattle during her five seasons with the team. Despite not being a big-name player, this was a successful pick for the expansion Storm.
1999: Minnesota Lynx - Tonya Edwards
One year before that wild 2000 draft that featured half the expansion teams making trades, we had an even weirder draft, because in addition to college players, the 1999 draft featured players from the recently folded ABL.
The Lynx held the No. 7 pick and selected Tonya Edwards, who at the time played for the Columbus Quest of the ABL. The 31-year-old Edwards immediately made an impact for the Lynx, making the All-Star Game as a rookie while averaging 14.8 points per game.
But her time in Minnesota was short-lived, as she was traded to the Mercury in October of that year in a deal that also sent current SMU coach Adia Barnes to the Mercury as well.
1999: Orlando Miracle - Tari Phillips
One pick after the Lynx took an ABL player, the Miracle did so as well, drafting Tari Phillips from the Colorado Xplosion.
Phillips played sparingly as a rookie for the Miracle, averaging just 10.5 minutes per game. The team then left her unprotected in the 2000 expansion draft, with the Portland Fire claiming her rights. Portland would trade her to New York just before the 2000 season, where Phillips would make four consecutive All-Star appearances. If only Orlando had shown a little more patience.
1998: Washington Mystics - Murriel Page
At No. 3 in the 1998 WNBA Draft, the expansion Mystics selected Murriel Page.
Page went on to have a long WNBA career, playing eight seasons with the Mystics. She never won any awards or led the team to a title, but getting a solid role player who can start for your team for almost a decade is a win, considering how unpredictable the WNBA Draft tends to be.
1998: Detroit Shock - Korie Hlede
The Shock took Korie Hlede at No. 4 in 1998. The Croatian guard out of Duquesne started 27 games as a rookie, averaging 14.1 points per game and coming in second in the Rookie of the Year race.
It was a nice start, but it wasn't sustained. After a dip in production during the 1999 season, Detroit made a mid-year trade that sent Hlede to the Utah Starzz. Her numbers rebounded a bit in Utah, but she only lasted five seasons in the league.