Subscribe
Follow Us
When the Golden State Valkyries were awarded a WNBA franchise, owner Joe Lacob was pleased. However, many believe that because of the Golden State Warriors, the NBA counterpart, the Valkyries have that immediate title expectation. Despite the aspirations, Lacob made sure that people knew the foundation of the team for this year.
“The rules are the rules, we have the 5th pick in the draft,” Lacob said on the TK Show. “I would have liked to have a higher pick in the lottery and so on, but that’s not what happened. We’re still gonna get a good player. We went through free agency, and there were not a lot of free agents available this year.
“They have this rule called the core rule where basically it’s like the NFL Franchise Tag and so it made it really hard to steal away some of the more significant potential players this year. Having said that we got some pretty good players out of Europe.”
Luckily, the Valkyries made it a point to have a nice blend of talent on the roster. In the expansion draft, Golden State selected former Las Vegas Aces guard Kate Martin. She showed nice potential with Las Vegas, but was a standout at Iowa, alongside Caitlin Clark.
The guard duo showed promising shooting and playmaking, something Martin can bring. Not to mention, the Valkyries signed an ex-Dream forward, Monique Billings. She's been around the league but understands her role as a rebounder and enforcer in the paint. Those two areas can help the Valkyries establish an early identity.
Joe Lacob sees the Valkyries laying a foundation.
After the Valkyries landed the No. 5 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, it left them feeling left out. They missed out on the chance to draft UConn Star Paige Bueckers who will likely be the first pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft. Some names that could fall to them are Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron, USC’s Kiki Iriafen, LSU’s Aneesah Morrow, and French star Dominique Malonga.
However, they have some potential regardless of the lack of potential. Lacob knows what the franchise is gunning for but is holding back his previous claim.
“The bottom line is I think we’re going to be a very good team,” Lacob said. “I know I made a prediction, winning the championship in five years, puts pressure on everybody including me which is fine. We like that.”
Their season will open on May 16 against the Los Angeles Sparks. It will be the first home game for Golden State and the first game in a new era.
