Valkyries Should Chase Big Offseason Addition Despite WNBA Championship
The Golden State Valkyries are on top of the world right now. With a 68-63 win in Game 7, they became the fastest expansion team to win a championship. It only took them two seasons—and they did it without a single All-WNBA player on the roster, although Gabby Williams made that look like a serious oversight with a 30-point game.
The Valkyries now have a chance to build the next WNBA dynasty around Williams and Natalie Nakase’s system. Continuity matters, especially for a team that relies as heavily on a specific type of player as Golden State has in its first two seasons, but if the Valkyries want to become one of the most dominant forces in the W, they will have to make a big-time offseason addition.
Even when you win a championship, a return to the finals is never guaranteed. Injuries happen, opposing teams start to figure you out, or you just draw a really, really bad matchup in one of the early playoff rounds. There’s a reason the Las Vegas Aces became the first back-to-back champions in over twenty years when they did it in 2023.
Now is not the time to stand pat. If the Valkyries can add another star in free agency, they will be even more dangerous and will give themselves the best possible chance to defend their title next year. After all, the WNBA is full of championship contenders.
The Atlanta Dream won’t go anywhere; we can never count out the Aces as long as A’ja Wilson is on the team; the New York Liberty could keep their superteam together; and the Indiana Fever and Dallas Wings will make roster improvements around Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers. Moreover, the Minnesota Lynx and Washington Mystics have a chance to build something truly special.
With all of that competition, the Valkyries need to embrace their chance to build something more akin to a superteam. However, that doesn’t mean giving up on their identity. Any star wanting to come to Golden State will have to be willing to buy into Nakase’s defensive identity and selfless offense.
The Napheesa Collier Rumors Could Finally Become Reality
Napheesa Collier has been linked to the Valkyries for quite some time now. She played with Williams at UConn and for Fenerbahce in Türkiye. The two also teamed up with Kiah Stokes during their time overseas. Moreover, as the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, she would fit the team’s defensive identity like a glove. Collier would also give the Valkyries another go-to, All-WNBA-level scorer.
Williams has proven that she can be the go-to offensive option on a championship team, but it never hurts to have a co-star next to the face of your franchise. If Williams had to miss time with an injury, for example, Collier could keep the offense alive in her absence. If a team managed to take Williams out of the game with great defensive effort, Nakase would have another proven option to go to.
The Minnesota Lynx are entering a new phase with rookie phenom Oliva Miles taking over, and, although some would classify it as ring chasing, Collier has every reason to consider joining a contender like Golden State in the offseason.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.