Rarely is an expansion team in the position the Golden State Valkyries find themselves in.
They’re in playoff contention as the WNBA trade deadline approaches, and that raises questions.
The expectation before the season would’ve been that the Valkyries were out of it by now and would have to sell off veterans and continue the long build toward relevance.
Now, if they want, they could go for it a little bit.
CBS Sports writer Jack Maloney sees a path that the Valkyries could take to improve their current roster, and interestingly, two of his listed best trade fits starred at the same college, Syracuse.
Those players: Brittney Sykes and Emily Engstler.
Sykes is a legendary collegiate scorer who has shown this season with the Washington Mystics that she’s still got it.
Engstler was a do-everything player at SU and then Louisville. She’s also with the Mystics this season, and her playing time is down, but she can still be an effective backup forward.
“If (the Valkyries) want to be a buyer, they have enough young talent, draft picks and cap space to easily add some help for the playoff push,” Maloney writes. “If they want to be a seller and stock up on more future assets, they have veterans that other teams would be interested in acquiring. The Valkyries’ deadline plans will come down to how badly they want to make the playoffs and what sort of offers are on the table.”
Maloney also lists Rachel Banham and Aaliyah Edwards as possible trade fits for the Valkyries.
They could also sell players like Tiffany Hayes, Monique Billings and Temi Fagbenle if they opt to go the other direction.
Both doors are open in Golden State, and the league is waiting to see which one the Valkyries walk through.
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