While the Golden State Valkyries have every reason to celebrate their historic championship, for 20-year-old Juste Jocyte, the victory has brought mixed emotions rather than unfiltered joy. The Valkyries’ first-ever draft pick barely featured in their rotation throughout the WNBA playoffs, leaving her with little personal satisfaction despite being part of a championship-winning team. Now, following her candid comments about her rookie experience, Jocyte’s future in the Bay Area has become a major offseason question, as The Athletic writer Annie Costabile revealed a conversation she had with Jocyte’s agent.

“I was told that Juste did not explicitly ask for a trade, even though that’s where this could be headed in the new year or in the coming months anyways. But that is not something that either (Juste or her agent) of them would do via the media. So… her issues with what transpired this season, it’s my understanding that that was communicated to the franchise via exit interviews… but the idea that a trade demand was made, I’ve been told that that is not the extent of the situation at this point,” Costabile said on the No Offseason podcast on YouTube.

“But there is an expectation that a trade could happen because they just didn’t use her and she has value in this league. That’s where things get a little bit more complicated again. The communication aspect is really important because when you’re talking about international players who are drafted young but have professional experience, their desire in the WNBA varies. For a player like Juste, she’s not coming over to sit on the bench. She has no interest in playing in the WNBA but not being utilized. But if you’re a franchise like the Valkyries and you have an opportunity to draft a player of Juste’s caliber… you’re looking at that potentially as a developmental piece, someone who you may not need to work into your rotation immediately,” she added.

There is no question that Juste Jocyte has high expectations from herself. After all, she is the youngest player to play in the EuroLeague at just over 14 years old. But while the two-time Lithuanian Women’s Basketball Player of the Year is well known around Europe, she is still a rookie in the WNBA. And because of the Valkyries and head coach Natalie Nakase’s insanely high standards, Jocyte saw her minutes dwindle, averaging only around eight minutes per game across 16 regular-season games. Even worse, Jocyte received only five — yes, five minutes of playoff action. Three in a blowout Game 1 win against the Dallas Wings and two in a 26-point loss to the Atlanta Dream.

The 20-year-old has been quite blunt after receiving such treatment from head coach Nakase. Back in Lithuania with the national team, Jocyte told local media about her lackluster relationship with Nakase and how she wasn’t able to enjoy the championship as much as her other teammates.

“I had very mixed feelings about this victory… At the end-of-season press conference, I said that, on the one hand, I do understand the situation as to why I didn’t play, but it’s such a mixed feeling. I’m happy for the team, but on the other hand, I didn’t really contribute much. It’s both really fun and, in a way, a bit sad, because you don’t feel the same way, you don’t care as much. And I don’t even know where I stand – whether I’d want to come back next year – so it’s a very mixed feeling,” Jocyte told Lithuanian media BasketNews, with the English translation coming from ClutchPoints reporter Kenzo Fukuda.

After Jocyte arrived at the Valkyries, Nakase confirmed that she wanted to ease her into the lineup. But the rookie’s minutes didn’t justify the coach’s statement, and Jocyte on the hardwood felt like a once in a blue moon vision. In June, Nakase was asked what role she wants the rookie to develop, and she answered that the team was planning for her to become a lead ballhandler. However, three days later, Nakase admitted that it would take time for Jocyte to develop into a point guard. By July, the 20-year-old’s role on the team was more or less nonexistent.

“Honestly, the whole month of June was just one excuse after another,” Jocyte said about her experience with Nakase. “At first, you understand that it takes time to get into the groove– the plays and everything else– but when they’ve been saying the same thing for two weeks now, that I need to learn the plays. I think it took me more or less a day, and that was it. There was never any serious, official conversation with the coach about what, who, or why. There’s a lot of uncertainty. Then you think: ‘Well, this is about nothing. If you don’t like me as a player, if I don’t fit the style—that’s fine, but just communicate it.’”

To put the final nail in the coffin, Jocyte said she wouldn’t want to return to the Valkyries next season because her personal growth seems to be at a standstill. As the Valkyries’ first-ever draft pick, this is not something she envisioned ahead of the season with the trophy in her hand. Like plenty of other European players, Jocyte could sit out the 2027 WNBA season, or the Valkyries could suspend her contract and sign someone else. But as Costabile revealed, a trade seems like the best option for both parties, with teams like the Seattle Storm, Houston Comets, Chicago Sky, or Los Angeles Sparks coming to mind. And while Jocyte would probably be up for it, the Valkyries’ owner, Joe Lacob, hasn’t given up on the 20-year-old just yet.

“I kind of understand she’s competitive and would like to win and didn’t play. But she’s also only 20. We had a pretty great roster, very deep. I think she can be a very good player and we’d really love to have her back. So I think she will certainly earn a lot more playing time in the future. She didn’t get to play as much as she wanted to, and that’s understandable. I think she can be a very good player and we would really love to have her back.” Lacob said.

Interestingly, Jocyte isn’t the only Valkyries player with an uncertain future. Unanimous Sixth Player of the Year Janelle Salaun also saw her role diminish in the WNBA playoffs, and she ended up missing the championship parade. Whether Golden State sees a larger role for Salaun next season remains unresolved. Asked about the forward’s future, Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said it “still needs to be determined.”

Meanwhile, Lacob is playing nice, but Jocyte’s relationship with Nakase is basically finished. The Valkyries are currently on cloud nine after the historic championship win, but with a long offseason ahead, it will be interesting to see what lies ahead for their bench options.