The Golden State Valkyries Sign Two Draft Picks

With training camp opening on Sunday, the Golden State Valkyries officially signed two of their draft picks on Tuesday with the WNBA website adding the news to their official transactions page on Wednesday. It was no surprise that the team was going to sign both Shyanne Sellers and Kaitlyn Chen, but there was definitely anticipation about whether Juste Jocyte would sign now or not. Like all rookie scale contracts, there is no financial guarantee for either player if they do not make the final roster. The new moves increase the roster to 18 players.

Shyanne Sellers

As a second-round pick, Shyanne Sellers has a contract that would earn her $69,267 in base salary if she is on the team for the entire season. She was picked in a range where it is no guarantee of a long career or even a full season with the team. With her versatility, she definitely has a solid chance at making the final roster, but it could depend on the availability of other players.

Kaitlyn Chen

As a third-round pick, Kaitlyn Chen’s contract has a first-year base salary of $66,079 to match the minimum salary. Being picked so late in the draft on a team with other guards, it could be difficult for her to stick the entire season, but she has the advantage of being present for all of training camp, which could help if some players are suspended to start the season. Getting familiar with the team’s system could also put her in line for a contract later in the season when the team does not have a full roster.

Juste Jocyte

There is still no news on the team’s first pick, but Juste Jocyte did have her French league season ended on Wednesday. She is planning on playing for Lithuania’s national team and could prefer resting ahead of leading them at EuroBasket. The team would certainly have the cap space to sign her now and suspend her contract during the times that she is not with the team, but it also would make sense to sign later in the season or wait until next season if that is ultimately their plan. While the team has 18 players under contract, they can still exceed that for now as long as there are not 18 players physically in training camp at any one time with 3 players definitely not being able to report on time.