In a matter of days, Golden State Valkyries fans will get to know who they're actually rooting for in 2025.

The Valkyries have a head coach (Natalie Nakase) and a general manager (Ohemaa Nyanin). What they don't yet have is a team.

That changes Friday, when then WNBA stages its first expansion draft since 2008. The event is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday and airs on ESPN.

For Nakase and Nyanin, this is an opportunity to lay the foundation for the squad ahead of free agency and the 2025 WNBA draft.

Here's a breakdown of the expansion draft itself and how it could unfold for the Valkyries.

Draft Format

The most basic breakdown of this year's expansion draft is that the Valkyries have the opportunity to pick one player from each of the WNBA's 12 existing teams.

The devil is in the details.

The other 12 teams can protect up to six players from their roster, and that includes pending free agents for whom they retain the contract rights. The six protected players will be untouchable Friday.

In addition to working from a specific roster pool, the Valkyries have further restrictions on whom they can and cannot pick.

Golden State can select only one player who's due to become an unrestricted free agent this winter. The franchise is also prohibited from drafting an unrestricted free agent who has had the core player designation for two or more seasons. That group includes Nneka Ogwumike, DeWanna Bonner and Brittney Griner.

The rule over UFAs in particularly will require some serious contemplation from Nyanin and Nakase.

Ultimately, the Valkyries aren't required to take 12 players in the expansion draft, and they're unlikely to have any marquee stars available. Don't be surprised if Friday's event is somewhat anticlimactic.

Projected Selections

Teams have submitted their list of protected players to the WNBA, but it remains unclear who is and isn't up for selection.

Publicizing the protected lists would provide plenty of fodder for debate and likely spark a little more interest in the expansion draft. At the same time, it's not really in a team's interest to have it be known who it does and doesn't view as expendable.

Between the expansion draft rules and who could potentially be available, here's a list of the players Golden State might poach.

• Atlanta Dream: Haley Jones
• Chicago Sky: Dana Evans
• Connecticut Sun: Olivia Nelson-Ododa
• Dallas Wings: Carla Leite
• Indiana Fever: Damiris Dantas
• Las Vegas Aces: None
• Los Angeles Sparks: None
• Minnesota Lynx: Alissa Pili
• New York Liberty: Kayla Thornton
• Phoenix Mercury: None
• Seattle Storm: None
• Washington Mystics: Karlie Samuelson

How Good Do the Valkyries Want to Be in 2025?

In any league, expansion teams typically aren't any good straight out of the gate. The Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky, the WNBA's last two expansion franchises, combined to win nine games in their first seasons.

But the Valkyries are starting with a ton of momentum. They already have 20,000 season-ticket deposits, which sets a record across all of women's sports. That support won't immediate erode if Golden State is totally abject in 2025, but there could be some pressure within the organization to make a solid impression in Year One.

If attaining a level of respectability is the goal, then Courtney Vandersloot would be a great player to target in the expansion draft.

Despite starting 31 games for the New York Liberty in 2024, the five-time All-Star could be left unprotected by the WNBA champions because she's a free agent and turns 36 in February.

Vandersloot, who dished out 4.8 assists in 22.3 minutes per contest last season, would be a steady veteran presence on the floor. She'd also be a good mentor if the Valkyries identify a younger playmaker who they hope can anchor the backcourt for years to come.

Elena Delle Donne might be a major wild card as well.

The two-time MVP sat out the 2024 season and there's little insight into her status for 2025.

Her decision to take a break from basketball came after the Washington Mystics utilized the core designation on her despite pretty clearly heading toward a rebuild. With changes across the coaching staff and front office, the franchise may not drive such a hard bargain. Putting her on the unprotected list would allow both parties to make a clean break.

Delle Donne is 35 and has battled injury problems over the last three seasons, so she's no longer a true cornerstone talent. Still, she averaged 16.7 points on 48.5 percent shooting along with 5.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 2023.

A healthy Delle Donne would provide the Valkyries with a solid baseline and be a star the team could sell to its fanbase.

Beyond the names a lot of fans are familiar with, there are bound to be some vets in the expansion draft who could collectively give Golden State a high floor. Any combination of Stefanie Dolson, Kayla Thornton, Damiris Dantas, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, Haley Jones, Lindsay Allen, Alysha Clark or Karlie Samuelson among others might help you chase the eighth seed.

Looking Toward the Future

In terms of their wider organizational priorities, the looming negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement incentivize the Valkyries to get as many rookie-scale contracts as possible, even if it means being a lottery team in 2025.

A new CBA, one that reflects the WNBA's sizable increase in media rights money, will see player salaries rise across the board. The players signed to rookie deals under the old CBA will be massive bargains as a result.

Selecting players still on the rookie-wage scale would present Nyanin with salary cap flexibility ahead of the 2026 free-agency bonanza along with some roster certainty beyond next year.

Also, what better time than an expansion season is there to let a lot of young players get some run to see who hits?

The draft is likely to have a lot of players with only a few years of service time who don't have a clear path to a bigger role with their current teams.

Alissa Pili is a prime example. The Minnesota Lynx picked her eighth overall in the 2024 WNBA draft and she proceeded to play just 138 minutes as a rookie. Once the playoffs rolled around, she was a total nonfactor.

After transferring to Utah from USC, Pili averaged 21.1 points and 6.1 rebounds and was a 41.1 percent shooter from beyond the arc. Assuming the Lynx leave her unprotected, taking a flier on her might be worth it to see if her upside materializes with more playing time.

Carla Leite, who has yet to debut in the WNBA, falls in the same boat.

The Dallas Wings already have Arike Ogunbowale and Jacy Sheldon in their backcourt, and they'll be adding Paige Bueckers as long as the UConn star declares for the 2025 draft. That leaves the Wings in a bind with Leite. Yes, she's still only 20, but looking forward how is she going to get the necessary time on the court to develop?

The French guard is averaging 16.1 points and 5.4 assists early into the 2024-25 season with Villeneuve d'Ascq. If she's on the board for Golden State, it should jump at the chance to have her contract rights for whenever she's ready to make the jump to the W.