OAKLAND — The Golden State Valkyries have set their 12-player roster for Friday’s season opener against the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center.
Among the surprises who survived final cuts Wednesday were Janelle Salaün, who wasn’t with the team in training camp, and Kyara Linskens, who had a limited role in the team’s two exhibition games.
But the roster won’t include the team’s three picks from last month’s draft and veteran Laeticia Amihere, who scored 25 points in the preseason.
“Today is a bittersweet day for our franchise,” general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said after practice Wednesday. “Our staff made a lot of tough decisions today. … There are a lot of dreams that came true today and there are a lot of dreams that were deferred.”
Golden State Valkyries draft pick Kaitlyn Chen, left, General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin, center, and draft pick Shyanne Sellers, right, take part in a press conference on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. Sellers was the 17th selection and Chen the 30th selection for the Golden State Valkyries in the 2025 WNBA draft. (Aric Crabb/Bay Area News Group)
To reach the roster limit, the Valkyries waived their third-round draft pick, Kaitlyn Chen, along with a group of veterans that included Chloe Bibby, Elissa Cunane and Migna Touré.
Coach Natalie Nakase said she felt the group of players who made the team shared a strong chemistry on both ends of the floor.
“This 12 is connected,” Nakase said. “The spacing we had today was probably the best I’ve seen. In terms of preparing for L.A., they’re ready. The details that they picked up, they were on point today.”
After cutting Chen and releasing second-round pick Shyanne Sellers on May 3, just five days into training camp, the Valkyries will not have a player from their 2025 draft class on the roster to start the season. First-round pick Justė Jocytė did not join the team in training camp and was not expected to begin the season with the expansion club because of European basketball commitments.
But it remains unclear if she will play with the Valkyries at some point this summer. When asked about Jocytė’s status on Wednesday, Nyanin did not provide an answer. But she said the rookie’s absence “did not factor into any of the decisions from today.”
Salaün did not play in the Valkyries’ preseason games after fulfilling international commitments. But Nyanin said the French forward is currently en route to the Bay Area and expects Salaün to join the team soon.
Amihere, a 6-foot-3 forward, figured to have a good shot to make the roster when she scored a game-high 20 points in her preseason debut last week against the Sparks, nearly bringing Golden State back from a double-digit, second-half deficit.
While Amihere’s offensive upside was evident in the two preseason games she played, the Valkyries opted to keep forwards that could fare better on the defensive end. Salaün, Kayla Thornton, Stephanie Talbot and Cecilia Zandalasini were better defensive options than Amihere and Golden State opted to keep more size on the roster.
Temi Fágbénlé and Monique Billings are expected to play heavy minutes in the front court this season. Linskens was considered a long shot to make the team at the start of training camp, but impressed Nakase and the coaching staff with her ability to rebound and pass.
Against the Sparks, Linskens grabbed eight rebounds in nine second half minutes.
“I feel overwhelmed because I wasn’t expecting it really,” Linskens said of making the team. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
With Carla Leite, Kate Martin, Julie Vanloo, Tiffany Hayes and Veronica Burton, Golden State has a group of guards that blends young and old. Hayes and Vanloo – both in their mid-30s – bring a high level of experience for Leite, Martin and Burton, who are all younger than 25.
Burton started both preseason games, but Leite has flashed potential to be the team’s starting point guard by the end of the season.
Leite, a 2024 first-round pick by Dallas, scored 11 points in Golden State’s 84-79 win over Phoenix on Sunday.
“I think I’m more comfortable, but I know I need to improve a lot of things about my game,” Leite said.
While tough decisions had to be made, there is a chance the players who were waived could make a return to the roster in the future. With WNBA rosters being capped at 12, injuries could open the door for players to sign 10-day contracts later in the season.
The women’s EuroBasket tournament is set to take place in mid-June, which means that there could also be opportunities for players to be signed to 10-day contracts in just a few weeks. The Valkyries have seven players from Europe on their roster, though not all have committed to playing for their home country during the June tournament.
Nyanin said she wouldn’t rule out any player that was cut during training camp making a return to the roster.
“We hope that if there’s any opportunity to bring them back, that we do that,” Nyanin said.