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The Golden State Valkyries held their expansion draft on Friday, Dec. 6, and did so in style. Celebrities Michelle Wie West, E-40 and Baron Davis announced the names of the players the expansion team poached from other teams. In the end, they took one player from each team, with the exception of the Seattle Storm.

The drama was made for TV, and it delivered. There were surprises, and some popular players will now call the Bay Area home. Here are the eleven players the Valkyries have selected from around the WNBA and what they can bring to Golden State:

Iliana Rupert (Atlanta Dream)

Rupert’s career averages are 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds during her two seasons in the WNBA. The center has bounced around the league, playing for the Aces in 2022, the Dream in 2023 and, after sitting out the 2024 to prepare for the Olympics with the France, will be a Valkyrie in 2025.

Maria Conde (Chicago Sky)

The Sky drafted Conde in 2019, but she has yet to play in a WNBA game. Instead, she’s remained overseas playing for ZVVZ USK Praha, where she is averaging 14.8 points per game in EuroLeague Women play and was named the competition’s MVP for the month of November.

Veronica Burton (Connecticut Sun)

Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase mentioned on-air during the draft that the team wanted 3-point shooters, and Burton fits that role. The three-year guard averaged 35 percent from deep last season, granted on only 1.2 attempts. However, on a new team and in a new system in Golden State, ideally, those numbers can increase in 2025.

Carla Leite (Dallas Wings)

The French guard, selected No. 9 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, was one of the players fans seemed surprised wasn’t protected. Leite is coming off a season with Tarbes in the French league, where she averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds and was named an All-Star. Most recently, she’s been playing for Villeneuve d’Ascq—and new Sun head coach Rachid Meziane—in EuroLeague Women, although the club did not advance to the competition’s second round.

Wings fans already were envisioning a backcourt of Leite and Paige Bueckers, and while Bueckers is still very much in play with Dallas having the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Leite is gone.

Kate Martin (Las Vegas Aces)

Las Vegas is stacked with talent, and with teams only able to protect six players, someone of quality was bound to be gone.

Martin is the player the Valkyries have selected, taking the popular rookie away from the Aces. Though her averages were a modest 2.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game, she was loved by fans and players alike.

Temi Fagbenle (Indiana Fever)

Fagbenle being left unprotected makes no sense. Along with Caitlin Clark, she was at the heart of everything good happening for the Indiana Fever.

The center will likely be a starter for Golden State when the 2025 WNBA season begins.

Cecilia Zandalasini (Minnesota Lynx)

Zandalasini had a respectable season with the Lynx in 2024, averaging 4.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. The Italian forward provides experience and good size for the Valkyries.

Stephanie Talbot (Los Angeles Sparks)

The Sparks guard is heading to NorCal after a year in which she averaged 3.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. She’s not a flashy player but is an experienced veteran who can help establish Golden State’s culture.

Kayla Thornton (New York Liberty)

The 2024 WNBA champion New York Liberty couldn’t keep everyone, and now Thornton is off to the West Coast. She played 20.2 minutes per game for the Liberty in 2024 and was a player who was the heart and soul of the Liberty, always doing the grunt work that impacted winning.

Monique Billings (Phoenix Mercury)

The Valkyries went forward heavy in the expansion draft and added another in Billings. She is currently playing in China and thanked the Wings and Mercury for the opportunities she’s been given as she continues her WNBA career in Golden State.

Julie Vanloo (Washington Mystics)

The Valkyries added another rookie to their arsenal in Vanloo. She has shown flashes of offensive brilliance, including her 17-point performance against the Phoenix Mercury on July 16. She has tremendous upside that Golden State will do its best to unlock.

What’s next for Golden State?

Now, with 11 players on the roster, the Valkyries are beginning to define themselves and what they need.

It’s important to remember that just because they selected these 11 players doesn’t mean all of them will make the roster for 2025. The franchise can waive any player selected in the expansion draft before the season begins, and it wouldn’t affect their salary cap. Golden State can also have four players on their suspended list, so the team they field for their inaugural game against Los Angeles could look very different from the one they have now.

So what’s next for the Valkyries? Well, they’ll have a chance to convince some free agents that the Bay Area is the place to be in early February. They’ve certainly put themselves in a position where they’ll have plenty of financial flexibility to sign players to big contracts.

Following free agency is the WNBA Draft, and Golden State will have the No. 5 overall pick in what is being considered another deep draft.

Friday was a good start for the expansion team. If they can convince some free agents to join what they are building and draft well, they could have a good start to their 2025 campaign.