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The Golden State Warriors deserve all the credit in the world for how quickly the franchise found success in the WNBA during their inaugural season.
Last year's virtues can't cover this year's absolutely unreal vice: what the team did in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
The team managed to turn the eighth overall 2026 WNBA Draft pick into just a 2028 second rounder in a trade with the Seattle Storm after quickly cutting the player it took with Seattle's 2026 second rounder, which is objectively a terrible result for any professional metrics for how trades should work.
When the Valkyries drafted LSU guard Flau'Jae Johnson with the eighth pick, it made perfect sense. She fit in perfectly with what Natalie Nakase wants to run with Golden State, and she had a ton of potential still to reach after a banner career with the Tigers.
The team subsequently trading Johnson to Seattle for the Storm's 2026 second rounder and 2028 second rounder left a lot to be desired, even if the player taken, TCU forward Marta Suárez, filled a definite need on the roster.
The team, just a couple of weeks later, making the inexplicable move to waive Suárez outright, with no guarantees of getting her back for a developmental deal if that was even a hope. It leaves that trade just looking like a disaster. Having Golden State general manager Ohemaa Nyanin effusively praise Suárez after the selection only for Nakase to possibly allude that off-court fit might have played a role in Suárez's cut just makes it all look so much worse.
How in the world could Golden State let this happen? How could even a person playing a video game and doing fake trades in the virtual world make such an outrageously detrimental move for the franchise? An eighth overall draft selection is a valuable asset. The Valkyries could have used it ot either take a player they truly liked or traded away for veteran talent and/or a much more meaningful asset than a 2028 second rounder.
Johnson is thriving in Seattle, averaging 16 points and 3.5 boards per game in two preseason contests. Could Golden State really have not found a role for her after she fell into its lap? Just look at the draft board, too, after the Valkyries selected Johnson and traded her to Seattle in part for a player they'd wind up cutting just a couple of weeks later.
The Indiana Fever already look smart for taking South Carolina guard Raven Johnson, whose defensive prowess is already translating to the WNBA in preseason reps. Washington Mystics forwards Angela Dugalić and Cotie McMahon are already making instant impacts on the preseason stat sheets. Center Madina Okot could push for more playing time than expected with the Atlanta Dream with her promising preseason debut. French forward Nell Angloma and former UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens could be a steal for the Connecticut Sun, too, as they develop.
Could Golden State really not have taken one of those players at eight? How could the team's general manager think so highly of Suárez right before waiving her with barely any time to mesh with the Valkyries? Could the team not sign her to a developmental contract, like the Fever did with forward Justine Pissott, to avoid an outright waiving? The fact that they didn't makes it seem like Suárez is permanently on the outs, which is just a wild turn of events from where the team was when it initially took Flau'Jae Johnson at eight and looked pretty savvy for doing so.
Now, Suárez is likely headed elsewhere, Johnson is in Seattle as a likely Storm building block for the future and Golden State is left with just a 2028 second rounder to show for its troubles. This has all-time awful trade written all over it as far as the WNBA is concerned. There just isn't any good explanation for it.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Flau'Jae Johnson-Valkyries draft trade is officially a disaster
Continue reading...
Last year's virtues can't cover this year's absolutely unreal vice: what the team did in the 2026 WNBA Draft.
The team managed to turn the eighth overall 2026 WNBA Draft pick into just a 2028 second rounder in a trade with the Seattle Storm after quickly cutting the player it took with Seattle's 2026 second rounder, which is objectively a terrible result for any professional metrics for how trades should work.
When the Valkyries drafted LSU guard Flau'Jae Johnson with the eighth pick, it made perfect sense. She fit in perfectly with what Natalie Nakase wants to run with Golden State, and she had a ton of potential still to reach after a banner career with the Tigers.
The team subsequently trading Johnson to Seattle for the Storm's 2026 second rounder and 2028 second rounder left a lot to be desired, even if the player taken, TCU forward Marta Suárez, filled a definite need on the roster.
The team, just a couple of weeks later, making the inexplicable move to waive Suárez outright, with no guarantees of getting her back for a developmental deal if that was even a hope. It leaves that trade just looking like a disaster. Having Golden State general manager Ohemaa Nyanin effusively praise Suárez after the selection only for Nakase to possibly allude that off-court fit might have played a role in Suárez's cut just makes it all look so much worse.
How in the world could Golden State let this happen? How could even a person playing a video game and doing fake trades in the virtual world make such an outrageously detrimental move for the franchise? An eighth overall draft selection is a valuable asset. The Valkyries could have used it ot either take a player they truly liked or traded away for veteran talent and/or a much more meaningful asset than a 2028 second rounder.
Johnson is thriving in Seattle, averaging 16 points and 3.5 boards per game in two preseason contests. Could Golden State really have not found a role for her after she fell into its lap? Just look at the draft board, too, after the Valkyries selected Johnson and traded her to Seattle in part for a player they'd wind up cutting just a couple of weeks later.
The Indiana Fever already look smart for taking South Carolina guard Raven Johnson, whose defensive prowess is already translating to the WNBA in preseason reps. Washington Mystics forwards Angela Dugalić and Cotie McMahon are already making instant impacts on the preseason stat sheets. Center Madina Okot could push for more playing time than expected with the Atlanta Dream with her promising preseason debut. French forward Nell Angloma and former UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens could be a steal for the Connecticut Sun, too, as they develop.
Could Golden State really not have taken one of those players at eight? How could the team's general manager think so highly of Suárez right before waiving her with barely any time to mesh with the Valkyries? Could the team not sign her to a developmental contract, like the Fever did with forward Justine Pissott, to avoid an outright waiving? The fact that they didn't makes it seem like Suárez is permanently on the outs, which is just a wild turn of events from where the team was when it initially took Flau'Jae Johnson at eight and looked pretty savvy for doing so.
Now, Suárez is likely headed elsewhere, Johnson is in Seattle as a likely Storm building block for the future and Golden State is left with just a 2028 second rounder to show for its troubles. This has all-time awful trade written all over it as far as the WNBA is concerned. There just isn't any good explanation for it.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The Flau'Jae Johnson-Valkyries draft trade is officially a disaster
Continue reading...
