The Golden State Valkyries announced that they waived Stephanie Talbot on Sunday, a possibility that emerged after she went from the starting lineup to out of the rotation in the past week. The move frees up a roster spot, but does not change the salary cap situation yet or reduce how much money she makes and the team can now make a further move as this is a busy time around the league.
Stephanie Talbot
It has been a tough season for Stephanie Talbot starting when she missed the opening game due to injury. She did enter the starting lineup due to other absences and had a pair of excellent games in close losses to the New York Liberty, but she was never able to get in a consistent shooting rhythm. The Valkyries did try to deploy her in a variety of situations to utilize her versatility, but were not always able to find the right defensive matchup for her even though she continued to battle on the boards and show some of her playmaking ability. While she started this road trip in the starting lineup, she did not play in either of the last two games, the first indication that she would ultimately be the next player waived.
Salary Cap Implications
Stephanie Talbot was on a fully guaranteed contract when the Valkyries selected her from the Los Angeles Sparks in the expansion draft process. That means that she will be paid the full amount that she is owed for this season if she clears waivers and then that amount would remain in Golden State’s salary cap calculation for the rest of the season. If another team were to claim her, they would be paying the remaining salary on her contract, but her entire season’s salary cap figure would be in their calculation and no longer be on the Valkyries calculation at all.
Iliana Rupert?
There has been widespread reporting that Iliana Rupert was planning on joining the Valkyries in the middle of the season and this move obviously makes it possible for Golden State to add her to the roster. Recent reporting from France indicated that she would be available to make the move this week so the timing would make sense for that move. Adding one of the best post players from Europe would certainly increase the depth for the Valkyries in that area when they face taller opponents.
Other League Moves
Today is the deadline for players on unguaranteed contracts to be waived before their contract amounts become guaranteed for the remainder of the season regardless of whether they are on the roster. For the majority of teams in the league who are right up against the salary cap, this is their opportunity to cut a player to give themselves the ability to make a trade or free agent signing later in the season. Both young and experience players have started being waived and those players could find new homes soon either by being claimed off waivers or by signing a new contract after clearing that process.
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