SAN FRANCISCO — As Thursday’s WNBA trade deadline nears, the Golden State Valkyries players say they have not been bothered by the uncertainty of who could be on the move.
Instead, those on the expansion team are focused on what’s in front of them.
“There’s not much you can do, actually,” third-year center Iliana Rupert said before Wednesday’s game against the Las Vegas Aces. “You have to wait and see what’s happening in this league, but it’s not really in our control. You just have to go onto the court and be the best, be a good teammate and play as much as you can with heart. After that, the rest is not in your hands. So if you can’t control it, you just don’t think about it.”
Starting point guard Veronica Burton has emphasized the importance of continuing to stay positive as the Valkyries make a push for the playoffs.
“It’s just about building each other up,” Burton said. “It’s just about being present, being where you are and that stuff is above us.”
This year’s trade deadline has already gotten off to an intriguing start.
On Sunday, the Minnesota Lynx traded for former Stanford standout and defensive ace DiJonai Carrington of Dallas in exchange for Diamond Miller, Karlie Samuelson and a second-round draft pick. Two days later, the Washington Mystics traded All-Star guard Brittney Sykes to Seattle for Alysha Clark and Seattle’s 2026 first-round pick.
Teams have until 12 p.m. PST on Thursday to make a trade.
The Valkyries are in a unique position to be either buyers or sellers before the deadline as they possess all of their future draft picks and the most amount of cap space in the league. Golden State also has the rights to first-round pick Justė Jocytė, who is expected to play for the Valkyries in 2026.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said guard Tiffany Hayes (left leg) and forward Cecilia Zandalasini (left foot) are close to returning from their respective injuries.
While the Valkyries have holes to fill throughout their roster, Nakase believes this team is good enough to win games going forward.
“We’re good,” Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase said. “We’re getting healthy, and as we get healthy, I’m good.”
Nakase disagrees with Salaün ejection
Following Sunday’s loss to the Aces, Nakase said she needed to get another look at rookie forward Janelle Salaün’s ejection to determine if the punishment was fair.
After further review, Nakase vehemently disagreed with the official’s ruling.
“I thought (Jewell Loyd) sold it really well,” Nakase said. “Ja’s character, and I only go with high-character players, she doesn’t do anything dirty. I saw a bump.”
Salaün was slapped with a Flagrant 2 foul and an automatic ejection after she shoulder checked Loyd during the second quarter of Sunday’s loss to Las Vegas. She became the first player in Valkyries history to be thrown out of a game.
Nakase said an earlier incident involving Aces’ center Megan Gustafson sparked some of the early physicality of that game.
“I love Megan, but she two-hand pushed one of our players,” Nakase said. “I love Megan, so I know she didn’t do it maliciously. Sometimes the game just allows physicality, but if that’s going to be a Flagrant 2, then other things have to be flagrant too.”
Rupert’s hot streak
Rupert has fit in seamlessly with the Valkyries during her first two weeks with the team.
Through six games this season, Rupert is averaging 10.7 points per game while shooting 51.7% from beyond the arc. She’s played both center and power forward while operating as a stretch post player.
“One of the things I saw from the Valkyries early on this season was that they were a really big shooting team, especially from 3,” Rupert said. “When I saw that, I knew I was gonna feel good on this team, for sure. There’s a lot of movement around the ball, everybody gets to be involved. And that, I think, is a really good way to play basketball.”
Rupert will likely continue to get more minutes with center Monique Billings out for at least the next three weeks with an ankle sprain. Rupert, along with Temi Fágbénlé, are the only two players on the active roster taller than 6-foot-3.
“Obviously with Monique being out, there’s only two post 5’s with me and Temi,” Rupert said. “We all need to step up individually to cover her loss.”
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