Being the first expansion team to join the W since the Atlanta Dream in 2008 surely comes with a lot of challenges. So, GM Ohemaa Nyanin, head coach Natalie Nakase, and VP of Operations Vanja Cernivec had their hiring lens on as early as they could. “We’re very specific about the type of people that we want to surround ourselves with,” shared the HC. From the Expansion Draft to the 2024 WNBA Draft to training camp and preseason—every stage has been an opportunity to judge the Valkyries’ progress. So, two days before the beginning of the regular season, the new franchise made a decision. But…it’s not one everyone liked.

Since the beginning, the major obstacle in front of the Valkyries was filling up the 12 spots on their roster. No doubt, it wasn’t an easy process, especially going up against already established teams. So first, Nakase analyzed the assignment, and then she started shortlisting the players. “Excel and I became best friends,” she joked via Uproxx.

For her, 11 players came in through the expansion draft: Iliana Rupert, Maria Conde, Veronica Burton, Carla Leite, Temi Fágbénlé, Kate Martin, Stephanie Talbot, Cecilia Zandalasini, Kayla Thornton, Monique Billings, and Julie Vanloo. Then Tiffany Hayes joined as the lone free agent, while Janelle Salaün and Kyara Linskens were added after playing their entire careers in Europe. They’d pick 3 newbies, too, during the 2025 draft, much to the fans’ delight.

But the final roster was only to be reached after the preseason games. So, after assessing 18 players on varied rotations, the Valkyries announced their regular season 12 on Tuesday. The response from the fans? Well, this circulating fake news alert would sum it up: “Roster Update: The Golden State Valkyries have waived Head Coach Natalie Nakase.”

The Valkyries kicked off their campaign with an 82-83 loss to the LA Sparks. But there were some impressive showings. First the bench outperformed the starters 32-50 with Laeticia Amihere’s leading 20-point performance. Nakase had tested every player save for Salaun. So by the second showing against the Phoenix Mercury that ended in an 84-79 win, the HC had a clearer picture. Because this time, she had only 8 players coming off the bench. Toure led with 19 points while Thornton put up 12 from the starting line-up.

2 preseason games and a few days in the training camp, Nakase had seen enough to make the final call. But you see, where you thought the box score, players’ involvement, and camp presence contributed to the decision, the factors did not seem to reflect in the final roster, which is as follows:

Carla Leite, Kayla Thornton, Stephanie Talbot, Janelle Salaün, Temi Fágbénlé, Tiffany Hayes, Kate Martin, Veronica Burton, Cecilia Zandalasini, Monique Billings, Kyara Linskens, and Julie Vanloo.

9 of those are from the original expansion draft roster, while Salaun and Linskens come in from the training camp contracts. The rookies from the draft? Justė Jocytė, Kaitlyn Chen, and Shyanne Sellers? Yeah, none of them made it. You already knew the fan favorite Chen was. The crowd of 17,000 in their first preseason game, had given her the loudest of cheers when she stepped on the court. She was even among the top 10 in jersey sales already.

Well, fans won’t get to see her now. And neither will they see Sellers who was waived even before their games. Joyst, their No.5 pick, for another, did not see any playing minutes. The Valkyries are heavily relying on their international players who also seem have commitment overseas. Now you can guess all the response the X post above garnered.

Fans are disappointed in Valkyries as HC fails to serve the purpose

As usual, fans dove into the comment section and didn’t hesitate to pen their opinions. But it’s not just the team under fire—it’s Head Coach Natalie Nakase who’s become the primary target.

“What a terrible decision for the W in so many ways. New franchise has failed,” penned a spectator.

 Just consider this: the team waived Canadian Olympian Laeticia Amihere, despite her impressive 20-point performance in a preseason game. In case you’re unaware, she came off the bench against the LA Sparks and led the team in scoring. And she did it in a highly competitive game, where every point mattered. That’s why fans are convinced this roster isn’t built to compete with the rest of the league.

“Not trying to compete with other teams,” wrote another spectator.

But Amihere wasn’t the only one. Even the release of third-round pick Kaitlyn Chen, who made history as the first Taiwanese player to appear in a WNBA game, disappointed many who saw potential in her. And why not? She’s fresh off a national title win with the UConn Huskies.

“WE THE PEOPLE APPROVEEEEE,” came a comment.

Apart from these two, the team also waived Chloe Bibby, Migna Touré, and Elissa Cunane to trim the roster to 12. Among them is the leading scorer of Game 2. On the other hand, Salaun arrived late for the training camp, sat out the first game, and still made the roster. These decisions sparked questions about the team’s talent evaluation and development strategies.

It’s largely due to the Valkyries’ current roster lacking high-profile stars, raising concerns about their competitiveness. According to reports, the team made unsuccessful attempts to sign big names like Kelsey Plum and Nneka Ogwumike. Instead, the Valkyries leaned more on international players, which seems to be another concern for fans.

“Please. I was going to post this,” a fan replied to the previous post about firing Nakase. “No for real!! This needs to happen ‘cuz what is she doing??” added another.

To make matters trickier, several players the team chose to keep won’t be available immediately due to international commitments like EuroBasket. This could severely disrupt team chemistry and performance, especially if key players are absent during crucial parts of the season.

So no doubt, fans’ speculations have valid points. But there’s more to the story.

The Valkyries still have $351,982 in salary cap space, giving them ample flexibility to make moves throughout the season. “We need more (roster) spots,” Nakase said last week. “That would be nice. I think having more spots gives us a little bit more leeway. More spots would be nice.”

But since WNBA rosters cannot exceed 12 players, even with injuries, Nakase had no choice but to make those tough cuts. Fans only hope they are proven wrong.