This is long overdue and very welcome news! A 13th team is a start, and I'm hoping that quickly becomes 14. Sixteen teams seems like the right number for the WNBA for the extended near term. My logistical self is very curious as to how scheduling will be done, especially if the number sits at 13 teams. Fourteen is a more manageable number, particularly if the conference format is retained. Even with expansion, I'd still like to see a taxi-type developmental squad for each team. The expansion rostering process will be interesting. I wonder how expansion will influence the decisions of elite collegiate players to enter the draft at the end of this season, so as to possibly avoid being selected by an expansion team. Or, maybe they elect to wait, hoping they are an expansion pick.
Regarding the last part about the collegiate players entering the draft, I'm honestly not certain it'll have a major impact one way or the other. Is there a huge difference between joining the current worst team in the WNBA or an expansion franchise?
I also think about how there were some murmurs that Aliyah Boston would return to South Carolina for a 5th year because she didn't want to play for the Indiana Fever and those rumors turned out to be false.
There will be some players that have to enter the 2024 Draft like Rickea Jackson and Charisma Osborne who will be playing in their 5th season of college already. Other players may opt to come out now to improve their draft stock. While others might decide to stay another year to improve their draft position.
Ultimately, I think there are several factors that could impact things.
What's going to be really interesting to see for me is how many players the Storm are able to protect and which players they get in the 2024 WNBA Draft. I think it's pretty easy to protect 6 players on the Storm's current roster. But what happens if the team adds two impact rookies with their lottery pick and the 14th overall pick and say they add a Skylar Diggins-Smith or a Natasha Cloud in Free Agency?
I think they should treat the expansion draft the same way the NWSL does. You protect 11 (in theory your starters) and can only protect 2 USNT players. In basketball due to the smaller roster, they should protect 5 and only 1 USWBB player…if they truly want to make it more competitive for those upstarts….although I feel like Lacob is going to be wheeling and dealing in FA
This is long overdue and very welcome news! A 13th team is a start, and I'm hoping that quickly becomes 14. Sixteen teams seems like the right number for the WNBA for the extended near term. My logistical self is very curious as to how scheduling will be done, especially if the number sits at 13 teams. Fourteen is a more manageable number, particularly if the conference format is retained. Even with expansion, I'd still like to see a taxi-type developmental squad for each team. The expansion rostering process will be interesting. I wonder how expansion will influence the decisions of elite collegiate players to enter the draft at the end of this season, so as to possibly avoid being selected by an expansion team. Or, maybe they elect to wait, hoping they are an expansion pick.
Regarding the last part about the collegiate players entering the draft, I'm honestly not certain it'll have a major impact one way or the other. Is there a huge difference between joining the current worst team in the WNBA or an expansion franchise?
I also think about how there were some murmurs that Aliyah Boston would return to South Carolina for a 5th year because she didn't want to play for the Indiana Fever and those rumors turned out to be false.
There will be some players that have to enter the 2024 Draft like Rickea Jackson and Charisma Osborne who will be playing in their 5th season of college already. Other players may opt to come out now to improve their draft stock. While others might decide to stay another year to improve their draft position.
Ultimately, I think there are several factors that could impact things.
What's going to be really interesting to see for me is how many players the Storm are able to protect and which players they get in the 2024 WNBA Draft. I think it's pretty easy to protect 6 players on the Storm's current roster. But what happens if the team adds two impact rookies with their lottery pick and the 14th overall pick and say they add a Skylar Diggins-Smith or a Natasha Cloud in Free Agency?
Thanks Jeff!
I think they should treat the expansion draft the same way the NWSL does. You protect 11 (in theory your starters) and can only protect 2 USNT players. In basketball due to the smaller roster, they should protect 5 and only 1 USWBB player…if they truly want to make it more competitive for those upstarts….although I feel like Lacob is going to be wheeling and dealing in FA