Players returned from EuroBasket on Monday, forcing the Golden State Valkyries to make moves to return to a roster that met the league maximum in terms of players. That means that three players had to be waived and the Valkyries started with the more expected choices, Bree Hall and Chloe Bibby, who had the least amount of playing time in the last game. Those two players being released allowed the team to activate Janelle Salaun and Cecilia Zandalasini again, but left them with one more decision to make that would be tough no matter what happened. The belief was that they would waive another one of their midseason signings, but Golden State opted to waive Julie Vanloo instead even before they absolutely had to, having the news break as she was still traveling back from Greece.
Bree Hall
As the one remaining player who did not spend any time in training camp with the team, it was not a major shock that Bree Hall would be one of the first players waived once players returned. She did get to play in two games and score her first career points, but it may be tough for her to find another place in the league this season unless a team wants to take a chance on a young player late in the season. She will likely have to use offseason play to earn another training camp opportunity for next season, but two expansion teams should increase those chances.
Chloe Bibby
After spending time with the Valkyries in training camp, Chloe Bibby got the chance to return to the team and got her first chance to play in the league, showing what she could do in a few games with serious minutes. Her playing time did decrease though and her role in the last game was probably the indicator that the team did not plan to keep her when players returned. She was able to show the offensive skillset that she has developed in Australia and Europe and was able to demonstrate some unexpected defensive versatility in some unconventional lineups. That could be enough to earn her a spot later this season, but she also has a chance to play for Australia in the upcoming Asia Cup if no other opportunities present themselves. She is slated to return to the Spanish league in the fall after excelling there last season and should get more WNBA chances.
Julie Vanloo
The last player waived was Julie Vanloo and while it was still a surprise, there were some basketball justifications for the decision. While she has had a long basketball career, this is still only her second year in the WNBA and she had some good moments with the team, but she has also struggled at times. Kaitlyn Chen has had consecutive good games in the backup point guard role while being a much younger player who could continue to contribute in the future. Carla Leite has also started to turn the corner and her presence has been missed in her recent injury spell. Laeticia Amihere is needed for post depth right now even though she was a midseason signing.
A significant portion of the negative response to this move was related to the timing of the decision and announcement, which could have been delayed. Vanloo was still traveling back to the Bay Area from Greece less than a day after winning EuroBasket. Even though there was no rush to return according to the rules, she missed out on the celebration in Belgium to return along with Los Angeles Sparks guard Julie Allemand. Golden State would have had to waive her when she reported back to the team as they would have to stay at the roster maximum, but it certainly seems like the team could have waited another day to properly communicate the decision to her instead of informing the public first.
Even though the Valkyries wanted to move in a different direction at guard, Vanloo certainly has shown that she can contribute to a team in this league. With some teams either having point guard needs or having the ability to possibly upgrade at that position, it would not be a major surprise to see a team claim her off waivers, which would then have them assume her existing contract. In that regard, waiving her a day sooner could get her to a new team sooner too. While Golden State will be trying to replace her on-court production, she has also been an important part of building team chemistry, especially among the rookie European players and that could be much harder to replace.
Future Moves
Golden State currently has a roster that they could carry until the end of the season, but there could be other moves on the horizon with the salary cap flexibility that they continue to have. Other teams in the league have also started to make moves after assessing their early season performance, leaving experienced players as free agents while trades are also being offered. The Valkyries have been linked with Iliana Rupert now that EuroBasket is done after selecting her rights in the expansion draft process. She is a talented post player, but signing her would require that one more player on the roster depart.
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