On the Valkyries roster and dreaming of getting Paige Bueckers or Sabrina Ionescu (from Zena Keita and Tim Kawakami)

It's okay to have dreams

Graphic by Chano Designs https://solo.to/chanodesigns

From The T.K. Show: Hoops Analyst Zena Keita on the Valkyries & WNBA Landscape, May 15, 2024

(sorry, the link is dead, possibly related to T.K. moving to a new job)

The team name

Tim Kawakami: What's your take on the naming of the Valkyries, the way that was unfolded, and what your reaction has been?

Zena Keita: Well, it's interesting because behind the scenes, the front office has been doing a lot of interviews about how the name came up. They said that they were wanting to give the fans what they wanted, which I didn't realize the fans had that much of an impact on how they came to this conclusion and this name. I thought they would have gone the agency route and come up with something that goes along with the Warriors and the Bay. But you can see that it was kind of a mix of both.

And when you think about the Valkyries' connection to the Warriors and the way it all comes together in Norse mythology, Valkyries being the ones that would take warriors into the hall, they were the strength and symbolism of almost being the regality of it all—the angels, I guess, of the warriors. And I love that from a sister-brotherhood type of thing within the Warriors organization.

But I think it's cool. I think it's going to be the number one misspelled name everywhere in media and probably mispronounced as well. But I think it's really cool.

How talented will the team be next year?

Tim Kawakami: Is it going to be a talented team? I mean, you guys talk about talented players not making rosters. There were players who did stuff in the playoffs last season who aren't on the roster this year—144 players. What kind of talent level are we talking about?

Let's say in a dispersal draft where teams protect their top five or top six or whatever. Could the Valkyries' team—what kind of level of player are we looking at? Are there really good players you think that might be available in this dispersal draft?

Zena Keita: Oh, absolutely. I mean, you think about the fact that, like you just said, 144 players. Some teams came into this season with 18 people in their training camp rosters. And of those six that didn't make the team, they were playing overseas, winning awards, winning leagues, and being dominant players. A lot of them were players that used to be in the WNBA, went overseas, found a lot more success, found a lot more money—let's be real—and are now trying to find their way back in. It's harder to do it that way.

What names could GSV target?

Zena Keita: But when you're talking about added spaces, for example, I'm a huge fan of Bria Hartley. Bria Hartley, with the UConn Huskies, won championships, started in the WNBA, and has been playing in France for, I would say, the last five years. She was on the training camp roster for the Las Vegas Aces but didn’t make it.

Alongside her, Brea Beal, one of the members of the South Carolina undefeated season that ended up losing to Iowa during the Aliyah Boston days—Brea Beal doesn't make that Las Vegas roster. She's now floating around. There's so much talent like that, so capable of being dominant in a particular league, but it's just so hard to make a WNBA roster.

And I think a lot of GMs in the W right now are trying to find that nice mix between vets and young talent because the talent of this era—there's something in the water.

Tim Kawakami: They're talented, and they're also rigorously trained, right? This is a generation that grew up realizing, "I can play in the W." And so they're getting trainers from the time they're in sixth grade or seventh grade; they're getting offers that young. And so this generation is just steaming with tons of talent. Between trying to balance, yes, having a 42-year-old Diana Taurasi and also trying to get some new blood in there, there are going to be a lot of middle-level players—those just over 25 years old, just under 30—still trying to find their place that the Warriors can definitely take advantage of.

Zena Keita: You have some really big names... Sabrina Ionescu. Of course, that's the one that's always mentioned. Obviously, Bay Area woman, and she has, you know, very good ties with Steph Curry. We know that from the shooting contest. Is there something that's kind of buzzing around? And given what the cap restrictions are, is it possible? Has a team come in and said, "Okay, one year, we’re just going to go sign three great players." Can this happen?

Tim Kawakami: I mean, New York Liberty kind of did that last season, right? When you look at Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Courtney Vandersloot coming in. But when you look at—you said they might not start out with a Steph Curry. You never know. The last time there was an expansion draft was way back in 2008 when the Atlanta Dream were the new expansion team. And when you look at that process, I mean, the Dream got picks within that round of that year.

And when you look at this upcoming 2025 class for college basketball—packed. Paige Bueckers is definitely the Steph Curry-esque player. A player that can be a franchise player. A player that can not only guard incredibly well, she can create offense like no other, and she's a really, really good recruiter. When you think about some of her teammates that could come alongside her—there’s Azzi Fudd, who would also be coming into this class.

Zena Keita: And then Kiki Iriafen from Stanford, right? She just has now gone down to USC, but Kiki Iriafen, another California native, has some roots in the Bay Area and could want to come back if they could end up with that pick. She's projected number one, right above Paige Bueckers.

They're going to flip back and forth this upcoming season. But there could be the possibility that however they decide to do this draft, if the Valkyries get to be part of the draft lottery, who knows—they could end up with a top-five pick. The crazy part about it is that the rules haven't been made up. The only thing we do know is that there’s most likely going to be a process where every single team in the WNBA will get to keep their top five or six players, and then from there, the Valkyries will be able to choose from the remainder. That's the only thing we feel pretty certain about. The draft aspect? Completely up in the air.

Tim Kawakami: And Joe Lacob said, "I'm paying $50 million for this expansion. Maybe I can get a few little things there."

Is Paige Bueckers worth the hype?

Tim Kawakami: And as you pointed out, Paige Bueckers yesterday—what does she do? What does she tweet?

Zena Keita: Oh, she loved the Valkyrie colors, and I absolutely had to put some eyes on that. I'm bookmarking that, okay?

I love the engagement right now from all over the league. I mean, even Renee Montgomery was on We Need to Talk on CBS. Renee Montgomery, who is a part-owner of the Atlanta Dream, was holding up a Valkyrie t-shirt. So there's support all around, and a lot of people have their eyes on this team right now, including the upcoming talent. So, Joe Lacob, make sure you're in their mentions, but no tampering—just be looking.

Tim Kawakami: Absolutely. Just discussion. It’s all harmless. There's no tampering ever. I was going to ask you, though, is Bueckers that level? Is she somebody who's going to walk in and be one of the best players in the league?

Zena Keita: Absolutely. The only reason that we don’t hold—and we being the larger public, I do—but the only reason she doesn't have the acclaim that Caitlin Clark has is simply because she was injured. And had she not been injured, we would have been talking about Paige Bueckers way more.

Because she's able to shoot threes, but she's also able to create, and she can guard like crazy. Having a two-way player, right? That’s one of the things that, particularly in the early parts of his career, made Steph Curry what he is—his ability to defend and shoot and create and just be frenetic on the court, right? And that is what Paige Bueckers can do. And she's such a good leader. Her poise as well is something that I think can lead a franchise. When she’s having a good game or a bad game, it doesn't matter—she’s able to uplift her teammates around her.

But my biggest thing about her is that she can create her own shot. And when you have a point guard that can do that, that doesn’t have to come off screens, that doesn’t have to have set plays for herself, that can get to their spot however they like—Paige Bueckers can do that. And that’s what you’re going to want to start with.

Jewell Loyd, for example, in the Seattle Storm, is a great example of someone that could start and be a franchise player for the Seattle Storm, but she needed a little bit of help around her. She could create all day long for herself, but she needed a little bit of a balancing act around her. They got that in Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins joined her. So this is what I feel like you could see happen for Paige Bueckers. That first year for the Valkyries, if they would have her—this is hypothetical—but if they had her, it might be rocky, might be rocky. But if they get the right supporting cast around her—monstrous.

Tim Kawakami: Man, if Joe Lacob and that team manage to get Bueckers, that would be quite the start. Would this be a franchise that players, the stars, would want to be part of? Obviously, you have the Warriors' glamour, you have San Francisco, you have the 7,500 season ticket deposits already. I imagine there’s going to be a lot of excitement for this team. Can you see players lining up saying, "Yeah, I want to go there"?

Zena Keita: Oh, yeah.