2025 Valkyries draft preview; how to watch on Apr 14, 4:30p Pacific
No consensus in mocks; predictions of Kiki Iriafen, Dominique Malonga, Aneesah Morrow, Shyanne Sellers, Justė Jocytė
Don’t miss the index for the entire 2025 Valkyries Draft Prospects series.
Watching the WNBA Draft
In contrast to the NBA Draft which happens in June well after March Madness fades and after prospects get to work out for teams — the WNBA Draft (Apr 14) happens an astonishing one week after the NCAA WBB Tournament Finals (Apr 6, noon Pacific). And then the regular season begins May 16. So it will be a sprint from here through the draft.
AP:
ESPN is televising the draft starting at 7:30 p.m. ET through 9:30 p.m. ET. A countdown show will be available starting at 7 p.m. ET on the ESPN app, and the WNBA has its own “Orange Carpet” for draft prospects showing off their own style and fashion before the big night. The league also will be providing updates on its social and digital sites, including the WNBA app and WNBA.com.
CBS:
The 2025 WNBA Draft is one week away, with all of the festivities set for April 14 in New York City. Soon, the top prospects will learn where they'll be off to to begin their professional journeys. Some big names will not be among them, however, as Olivia Miles, Azzi Fudd and Flau'jae Johnson all elected to return to school.
Roundup of projections of GSV pick at #5
It’s time for another update of the analysts’s WNBA Mock Drafts. The decisions of Miles and Fudd to return to school completely shakes up the mock draft landscape, as Miles was the consensus #2 pick. That now means GSV has the #5 pick in a four-player draft.
Practically speaking, this means there is no consensus whatsoever on whom GSV will pick. Everyone agrees that Paige Bueckers will be first. Sonia Citron has the most support for second. After that, it’s very unclear which players will fall to #5. Here are links to our micro scouting reports for the players in the cluster for #2 to #6:
If this is correct, then GSV will take the best player available out of this group. There is also the sleeper pick of Justė Jocytė.
Here are the actual projections from various mock drafts, followed by a tabulation of the different mock drafts.
5. Golden State Valkyries: F Kiki Iriafen (USC)
Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase told USA TODAY Sports she's looking for an "ultra competitive," "high character," "never satisfied" player that will help build the team's culture in its inaugural season. Kiki Iriafen checks all those boxes. The 6-foot-3 forward would make an immediate impact in Golden State, not far from her playing days at Stanford before she transfered to USC. Iriafen averaged 18 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and shot 49% from the field for the Trojans this season. When she's not backing up opponents in the paint or cleaning up the glass with her physicality and explosiveness, Iriafen is a midrange master. She also highlighted her leadership skills after stepping up following JuJu Watkins' injury in the second round.
5. Golden State Valkyries: Dominique Malonga
France | center | 6-6
Overseas players who don't play collegiately in the United States are also draft candidates. To be eligible for the draft, they must turn 20 in the same calendar year. Malonga is one of the most talked about overseas players expected to be selected high in April. Sometimes young players from overseas are picked for the future, even if they don't intend to play that year. However, her agent told ESPN that Malonga -- who turns 20 in November -- intends to play this WNBA season.
Malonga, who played for France in the Olympics last summer, seems to have a high ceiling. There have been comparisons made to New York's Jonquel Jones, who was the WNBA Finals MVP last season and won the regular-season MVP with Connecticut in 2021. That's a lot of expectation to put on a teenager, so we will wait a while to see how apt the comparisons are. The Valkyries' first free agency didn't go as they hoped for in February, and it might be tough for them to compete in their inaugural season. But perhaps they will draft a promising player like Malonga and get her some WNBA experience as they are establishing the franchise.
5. Golden State Valkyries: Kiki Iriafen -- F, USC
18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists | 49.9% FG, 82.5% FT
Iriafen was off her game in the Big Ten Tournament championship, but otherwise played very well down the stretch for USC and is a big reason why they're a national title contender. The Valkyries need a centerpiece after striking out on stars in free agency and Iriafen has the potential to be just that. Plus, her motor and athleticism will make her a good fit for the up-tempo style Natalie Nakase wants to implement.
5. Golden State Valkyries: Justė Jocytė -- G, Lithuania
12.1 points, 3 rebounds, 2.6 assists | 43% FG, 36.5% 3FG, 77.5% FT
The expansion draft showed that the Valkyries' front office is clearly comfortable with international players, despite the potential schedule conflicts that may arise. As they begin what figures to be a years-long process to build out their roster, they could take Jocytė with their first ever draft pick. The 19-year-old Lithuanian, who has been playing professionally since she was 14, is a big, crafty guard with slick playmaking skills and a reliable jumper.
5. Golden State Valkyries: Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Age: 22, Senior
Position: Forward
Height: 6-1
Golden State's inaugural season in the W will be an interesting one, but a player like Morrow would guarantee that effort on the boards will be a part of it. This is the ultimate "don't overthink this" pick, as Morrow is a multi-time All-American who just led the country in rebounding. She has skills that will immediately translate.
5. Golden State Valkyries - Shyanne Sellers, F, Maryland
Sellers improved her 3-point shot as the season progressed, growing a key area of weakness throughout her career. She’s converted 41.3% of her 75 3-point attempts during her senior season, providing scouts more optimism that she can become a reliable volume shooter at the next level.
If she can develop her jumper, Sellers projects as a foundational wing piece for this fledgling Valkyries team. She’s already a big, skilled intermediate creator with the scoring and passing chops to develop into a strong offensive player. Her upside is that of an offensive star, making her an ideal fit for Golden State.
Shyanne Sellers, G, Maryland
Shyanne Sellers was already slated as a first-round pick in most mocks headed into March. Why wouldn't she be? The 6'2" point guard is the epitome of versatility with her overall size, athleticism, and skill set.
But now that Miles and Fudd will return to college next year, Sellers' stock increases as one of the top coveted first-round playmaking options.
She has run the point for Maryland, averaging 4.1 assists per game this season and accumulating 523 assists in her career. She can slide over and play off the ball as a combo guard capable of initiating the offense or moving over to the wing.
One of the biggest areas the 21-year-old improved on this season was her perimeter shot making, going from 31 percent a year ago to shooting a career-best 41 percent this season for the Terrapins.
Sellers went down with a right knee sprain in the middle of this season and got banged up a bit in early March but did not let that keep her from competing in the tournament. Her 28-point performance in Maryland's double overtime win over Alabama put her competitiveness and playmaking ability on full display.
Sellers will now focus on getting her knee 100 percent and prepare for the next phase of her career. She has length, is a multi-level scoring threat and can play-make. All of that along with her versatility make her a top option for front offices looking to beef up their overall backcourt depth.
Updated Draft Overview, Apr 7 2025
Below is a table collecting many of the reputable mock draft analysts, along with links to mini scouting reports.
Whom should GSV select at #5?
Prospect Reviews
GSV draft prospects 1, 2 & 3: Paige Bueckers, Kiki Iriafen, Olivia Miles. Probably out of reach.
GSV draft prospects 8 & 9: Dominique Malonga and Sonia Citron
GSV draft prospects 10 & 11: Georgia Amoore and Shyanne Sellers
Below is a (sortable, searchable) roundup of WNBA Mock Drafts. GSV have the #5 and #17 draft picks.
New thread up.
Being wrote: [[ Geez, the salary differentials between WNBA and NBA astound me. $90k is above the vet min? That's shameful. ]]
The 2024 per-team salary cap is under $1.5m and there are 12 teams. Thus the entire WNBA makes less than $18m. The season is 40 games long, so it’s the equivalent salary of about $36m for a full NBA season. So, for instance, Ben Simmons made more last year than the entire WNBA.
I believe the WNBA pays its players around 10% of Basketball Related Income. The NBA CBA sets aside around 51% of BRI for player salaries. So there is a lot of room to negotiate salary scales up in the next round of bargaining.