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The 2025 FIBA EuroBasket tournament quickly approaching means question marks for the Golden State Valkyries, the newest addition to the WNBA.
Starters Janelle Salaün (France) and Temi Fagbenle (Great Britain) headline the international players likely headed for EuroBasket, as well as key role players Julie Vanloo (Belgium) and Cecilia Zandalasini (Italy). While only Salaün and Vanloo have officially made statements regarding their intention to play for their national teams, Fagbenle is listed as the team captain for Great Britain, and Zandalasini is listed on Italy's official roster.
As of June 5th, all 12 players are with the team in Phoenix for the Valkyries game with the Mercury, sources tell ClutchPoints. The team has yet to confirm when exactly the potential EuroBasket players will depart from the team, as that is still an ongoing discussion.
That spells the first big question for the Valkyries: How many games will they miss? The simple answer: somewhere between 6-to-10 games. But projecting precisely when Golden State's international players return is a little more complicated.
Per the WNBA CBA's current prioritization rules, players committed to their national teams can leave no earlier than two weeks before the event begins. Additionally, they must return within 48 hours after their teams finish play according to Article XIV, Section 9(d) of the CBA.
With that in mind, EuroBasket spans from June 18th to June 29th, with the group stage ending June 21st- 22nd. That makes June 23-24 the earliest date they can return and July 1st the latest. The Valkyries play seven games between now and the end of the Group Stage and another three during the Knockout stage. As a result, when these four players return depends on how far their national teams get into the tournament.
How does that affect Valkyries?
Losing four players for three weeks would not be good for any team, but it's especially difficult for this Valkyries team. Golden State has been very publicly vocal about the fact that this team lacks on-court reps together because they are an expansion team in its first season. It's hard to imagine that losing four players less than 10 games into the season will make their on-the-fly chemistry-building process any easier.
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From an X's and O's standpoint, the Valkyries will lose a lot of frontcourt depth. With Salaün and Fagbenle gone, Golden State is down its starting power forward and center without a clear pathway to replicating their strengths. The spacing and playmaking both bigs provide have been invaluable to head coach Natalie Nakase's emphasis on tempo and shooting. And in that same vein, Vanloo and Zandalasini have been Nakase's change-up pitch off the bench when the team needs some juice and energy.
But looking glass half full, the leave of absence creates an opportunity for the players who are staying. One of the underlying storylines with the Valkyries so far is their rotational log jam. With 12 players collected through an expansion draft, the Valkyries don't have any superstars. However, they still have a bunch of role players all capable of seeing the floor, which is a good and a bad problem.
It makes the Valkyries a very versatile team, which allows Nakase to take a matchup-oriented approach at the expense of rotational consistency. That leads to players like Kate Martin and Carla Leite occasionally catching DNPs even though they do log big minutes in certain games. The absence of these international players frees up minutes for the remaining Valkyries to cement themselves in the rotation by the time they return.
Potential roster moves for the Valkyries
Luckily, Golden State's other international players, Leite (France) and Kyara Linskens (Belgium), have reportedly not committed to their respective national teams, which leaves the Valkyries with eight rostered players. That allows them to sign two players to emergency hardship contracts to get back to 10 available players per the WNBA's team-building rules. That leaves first-time general manager Ohemaa Nyanin with some potentially pivotal roster decisions.
Backcourt-wise, Tiffany Hayes, Veronica Burton, Leite, and Martin should be enough. That leaves the Valkyries with needs in the frontcourt. Nakase is bound to trust Stephanie Talbot, Monique Billings, and Linskens on that front, with some potential small-ball Kayla Thornton lineups. But none of those players are consistent 3-point shooters, and size remains an issue despite Linskens' 6-7 stature.
Among the familiar names to look out for are training camp participants Laeticia Amihere, Chloe Bibby, and Elissa Cunane. There's no official reporting on their current whereabouts, but they'd make seamless fits because they are familiar with Nakase's system. It's unlikely fan-favorite Kaitlyn Chen will rejoin the team due to her recent commitment to the 3XBA league, based around 3-on-3 basketball.
That leaves one more huge question for the Valkyries: What does this team look like when everyone returns?
It is difficult to project what the Valkyries look like in a month. While other WNBA teams have waived players who committed to EuroBasket, it's unlikely Golden State does the same because of how crucial all four departures are in their lineup. But a rotational shakeup is not out of the realm if players like Leite and Martin showcase their value. In any case, EuroBasket adds some roadblocks for a Valkyries team that is currently 2-4. How they answer that challenge depends on how the remaining players rally.
