INDIANAPOLIS — The WNBA Expansion Project It’s Friday, and Indiana fever may have to say goodbye to one of his players.
Or maybe they won’t.
The project to expand the Valkyries of the Golden State will be broadcast at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN where the new franchise in the league will have the chance to choose a player from each team to make up its 2025 squad. But it is not because the Valkyries have the possibility of choosing a player from each team that ‘they will.
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There are many ways the expansion draft could influence the Fever: Golden State could choose one of Indiana’s players, or the Fever and Valkyries could work out a pre-expansion draft trade that could give the Indiana more autonomy in the choice of player who leaves the franchise. or Golden State won’t pick a player from Indiana’s roster at all.
We will know the details on Friday. Before that, here’s what you can expect about how the expansion project will work:
How does the WNBA Expansion Draft affect the Indiana Fever?
Golden State will begin building its team with the expansion draft, bringing together as many as 13 players from the draft before free agency even begins. At its most basic, Golden State will be able to choose one unprotected player on each team as well as one unrestricted free agent who has yet to use up all of his base years.
The Valkyries will then have to use their base designation (a maximum one-year salary in exchange for exclusive negotiating rights) on whichever unrestricted free agent they choose. Players who have already exhausted their senior seasons — including players like Brittney Griner, DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones — are not eligible to be drafted, so they do not need to be protected by their teams.
Each existing team can protect up to six players on its roster, which includes outgoing unrestricted free agents who are eligible to be drafted and players they have rights to but are not currently in the league. Then Golden State can choose from the unprotected list.
Golden State can also choose to negotiate a trade with different teams – they can take a player from one team and trade him to another team, whether for cap space or yet another player, or the Valkyries can negotiate with a team to choose a specific player from their roster.
Valkyries can also choose not to pick a player on a team at all. There are only 12 spots on each WNBA team, and Golden State would come out with 13 players if it chose one player from each team and one UFA. With free agency also starting in January, the Valkyries may not want to fill out their roster as quickly.
Predicting Fever WNBA Expansion Draft Protected List
The emphasis on predictedas the league has not released any team’s protected lists.
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Caitlin Clark
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Kelsey Mitchell
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Aliyah Boston
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Lexie Hull
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NaLyssa Smith
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Temi Fagbenlé
The top three are almost guaranteed: Clark and Boston, the last two No. 1 picks with four and three more years of control under the Fever, respectively, are a no-brainer. Indiana too plans to recruit Kelsey Mitchellwhich means they have to protect her too.
Lexie Hull has fought her way into the starting lineup and was a key player in the second half of the season, meaning Fever probably doesn’t want to give up on him. Temi Fagbenle, who is a restricted free agent, was also a vital part of the team when healthy. Fagbenle missed 22 games due to various injuries, but he was a crucial veteran both on and off the field.
NaLyssa Smith is the sticking point — she’s been a starter for most of the season, but her minutes have dwindled at times in Fagbenle’s favor, especially during the playoffs. Smith was expresses dissatisfaction with his playing time last season, but that may have been directed at the previous coaching staff. Smith reposted the announcement Stephanie White becomes Fever’s new coach in November after Christie Sides was fired.
Indiana could protect Smith in hopes of being able to trade him later in the offseason and get another player in exchange for the former No. 2 overall pick. Or they could consider saving her for 2025 and hope a new system brings out the best in her.
Golden State’s Potential Fever Options
Katie Lou Samuelson, Grace Berger, Damiris Dantas, Victaria Saxton and Kristy Wallace likely won’t be protected by the Fever roster. Erica Wheeler, the final player on Indiana’s roster, will be an unrestricted free agent this season.
Of those, I think Berger or Samuelson would be the most likely to be chosen by Golden State.
Berger, an IU alumna, just finished her second season with The Fever. She was heavily used during her rookie year in 2023, playing in 36 games and averaging 14.2 minutes and 4.6 points. Her place in the rotation decreased in 2024, however, as she only appeared in 11 games averaging 9.3 minutes per game.
Berger is a versatile and fast player who made the WNBA All-Rookie team in 2023. She has a lethal mid-range shot, which could open up some options on a new team. On top of that, she is relatively cheap: her salary, which is not protected, would be $80,000 for 2025.
Samuelson, meanwhile, is a veteran player who could bring some experience to a brand new franchise. She was drafted No. 4 overall out of UConn in 2019 and has bounced around a bit, playing with Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle and now Indiana. Going to Golden State might be a homecoming of sorts, since she’s originally from Huntington Beach, California.
The five-year WNBA veteran had a rough season in 2024, as it was her first after having her daughter in the summer of 2023. She played in 37 games, most coming off the bench after starting the year as a starter, and averaged 4.3 points. per game in 18.2. minutes. This year, with a full offseason of training, Samuelson could be ready for a bounce-back year.
What could turn Golden State away from Samuelson, however, is her massive $180,000 salary due to her in 2025. That salary is protected, so Golden State would be on the hook even if they end up releasing her.
Other options for the Valkyries, of course, include a trade with the Fever so Indiana can agree to specific terms with a return for the player they give up.
This article was originally published on the Indianapolis Star: WNBA Expansion Draft: Who will Indiana Fever leave unprotected?
