The Golden State Valkyries have taken their first steps toward building a roster for their inaugural season in 2025, and Friday’s expansion draft suggests there will be significantly more turnover for them in the near future.

Looking ahead, Golden State holds the fifth, 17th, and 30th picks in the 2025 WNBA Draft presented by State Farm. The team will make its official debut on May 16, hosting the Los Angeles Sparks at 10 p.m. ET. The Sparks feature stars like three-time All-Star Dearica Hamby and 2024 All-Rookie Team honoree Rickea Jackson.

The Golden State Valkyries made their selections during the Expansion Draft to start forming their inaugural roster. What are the key takeaways?

Seven of Golden State's 11 picks are foreign players. It's unlikely they'll all be on the roster by opening day.

On Friday, the WNBA held the Golden State expansion draft to help the league’s 13th franchise create its inaugural roster. During the 30-minute ESPN reveal, Andraya Carter, Elle Duncan, Chiney Ogwumike and Rebecca Lobo walked hoops fans through Golden State’s choices as it selected players from the league’s current 12 teams.

The Golden State Valkyries have selected center Iliana Rupert of Atlanta, guard Veronica Burton of Connecticut, guard Carla Leite of Dallas and forward Maria Conde of Chicago with their initial picks of the WNBA expansion draft.

Former Iowa standout Kate Martin, veteran free agent Monique Billings among players selected by Bay Area’s new WNBA team.

We mentioned this was a possibility in our expansion draft predictions. While Seattle has formidable options that could have been added, like Sami Whitcomb, Victoria Vivians or Mercedes Russell, all three are unrestricted free agents, and the Valkyries can add any of those players later.

The Golden State Valkyries have their jersey. The 2025 WNBA expansion team revealed the jerseys they will wear during their first season in the league

The Valkyries selected 11 players during last week's Expansion Draft on ESPN. There were a few surprises (all good ones for the Bay Area team), including the drafting of the Fever's Temi Fagbenle and the fact that 7 of the 11 members of the team are overseas players.