Expansion drafts were commonplace in basketball in the 20th century as the NBA was growing in size. Now, as popularity of the WNBA is at an all time high, the league is rapidly growing, and that includes adding more teams into the fold. The newest team to join the WNBA is the Golden State Valkyries, who will make their inaugural run in the 2025 season. First, though, the Valkyries have to build their roster, and the 2024 WNBA Expansion Draft is the main way that they will do that.
How to watch the 2024 WNBA Expansion Draft
The WNBA Expansion Draft is at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 6. The results of the draft will be broadcast on ESPN, meaning you can also stream the event on ESPN.com, the ESPN App, or fuboTV.
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WNBA Expansion Draft rules

The Valkyries have a minimum of 11 and a maximum of 12 roster spots to fill up for the upcoming season. Prior to Nov. 25, all 12 other teams in the WNBA had to protect up to six players on their roster to make them ineligible for the expansion draft. These players had to finish last season on the protecting team's respective roster, or that team must own their rights. The list of protected/non-protected players isn't publicly known.
Players not protected are eligible for the expansion draft and at risk of being selected by the Valkyries. Golden State will be allowed to draft one player from each team from the non-protected expansion pool. The Valkyries will acquire the contracts of players they draft who are still under contract, and they will also have the chance to negotiate a deal with one impending 2024 free agent who was protected by the team that they last played for. However, the Valkyries cannot draft players who are set to hit the open market who have been playing under a core-player contract for at least two seasons. For example, Brittney Griner will be ineligible to be drafted, so the Phoenix Mercury didn't have to protect her.
Prior to the expansion draft, the Valkyries can also make trades with teams for additional assets (most likely draft picks) who don't want to risk losing a player in the expansion draft. All in all, the Valkyries can walk away from the expansion draft with a maximum of 12 new players if they choose to draft a player from each team, which they are not required to do. Not choosing a player in the WNBA Expansion Draft would give the Valkyries more roster flexibility.
This comes in handy because they also have draft picks in the conventional WNBA Draft. Golden State will hold the number five pick in all three rounds of the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Expansion drafts are one of the wildest times in sports. It brings hope to new franchises, but existing teams risk losing valuable players, especially considering only six players can be protected in the WNBA. Get used to it, though, because the WNBA will expand to 15 teams by 2026. Then, franchises in Toronto and Portland will begin play. That means another expansion draft will take place next year after the 2025 season. Additionally, the WNBA is looking into adding a 16th team in the near future.
We've seen an expansion draft in the NHL in recent years, but they've been few and far between in American sports this century, so make sure to tune into ESPN to see who the Valkyries will pick up and who might be plucked away from your favorite team.