With the Dallas Wings After winning the WNBA draft lottery on Sunday, the existing 12 teams are now focusing on a very different type of draft: the Valkyries of the Golden State expansion draft, the first in the WNBA since 2008.

Before the December 6 draft results are announced on ESPN, each current team has until Monday to submit a list of up to six protected playersincluding both those who finished the season on their roster and anyone else the team has rights to.

The inclusion of player rights, particularly for draft picks who have not yet made it to the WNBA and are “hidden” overseas, could produce some interesting decisions on which teams will protect. Conversely, teams do not have to protect unrestricted free agents who have already played the maximum two years on contracts signed with the primary designation, thereby removing some of the league’s biggest names.

Golden State can choose one player from each team and only one unrestricted free agent, who then becomes eligible to be designated the Valkyries’ primary player. With these rules in mind, let’s try to guess which players each team will protect and who might be available for Golden State’s inaugural roster.

List designationsbr/>PD: unsigned draft pickbr/>A: restricted free agentbr/>RS: reserved free agentbr/>S: suspended list and expired contractbr/>U: unrestricted free agent

Projected protected:

Projected unprotected:

Ineligible: Tina Charles

None of the Dream’s three picks in the 2024 draft joined the team, retaining their rights but subjecting them to the expansion draft. As a first-round pick, I’d give the 20-year-old Puoch the best chance to be protected alongside Atlanta’s four eligible starters. I gave the final spot to Borlase — another 20-year-old Australian drafted No. 20 — over former first-round pick Rupert, for whom Atlanta has exclusive negotiating rights after opting out of the season 2024 to play. for France at the Olympics.

Projected unprotected:

Protecting the main players will not be a challenge for Sky. In fact, Chicago has room to protect three restricted free agents in addition to promising young players Cardoso and Reese and veteran Williams. After averaging 17.5 points last season, Carte is another easy pick, and Onyenwere became a starter.

Evans, another restricted free agent, has fallen out of favor under Teresa Weatherspoon, but could get a fresh start with Tyler Marsh replacing Weatherspoon as coach. Meanwhile, the Valkyries signing any of the Sky’s veterans would add to their stockpile of cap space.

Projected unprotected:

Ineligible: DeWanna Bonner

The only question is whether Connecticut could choose reserve Nelson-Ododa over Burton, but Burton’s exclusive negotiating rights as a reserve player are valuable.

Ineligible: Natasha Howard

Although they don’t have to protect Howard, the Wings will have to leave several recent first-round picks unprotected. Dallas will likely start by protecting the team’s top five eligible players last season in terms of minutes per game, including key reserve Siegrist. That leaves a spot between backup center Kalani Brown, part-time starting point guard Uzun, 2023 first-round picks Lopez Senechal and Soares, and last year’s No. 9 pick, French guard Leite . Of this group, I think the Wings are the most likely to protect Leite — especially after winning the draft lottery and potentially landing the UConn point guard. Paige Bueckers to replace Uzun.

Projected protected list: