Valkyries bring back reigning Most Improved Player on multi-year contract

The Golden State Valkyries on Saturday re-signed guard Veronica Burton to a multi-year contract as WNBA free agency officially opened under the league’s new collective bargaining agreement.

Burton, 25, is coming off a historic 2025 campaign in which she earned the Kia WNBA Most Improved Player award, receiving 68 of 72 votes from a national media panel. In her first season with the expansion franchise, she started all 44 regular-season games and both playoff contests, averaging 11.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and a team-leading 6.0 assists per game, while also contributing 50 steals and 27 blocks.

Burton’s all-around impact placed her in rare company. She became the only player in the league to lead her team in total points (525), rebounds (192), assists (265), steals (50), and blocks (27). She also made WNBA history by increasing her averages by at least five points, two rebounds, and two assists compared to the previous season, after recording 3.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game with the Connecticut Sun in 2024.

League-wide, Burton ranked third in assists per game, fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.82), and ninth in free throw percentage (87.8%). She produced 28 double-digit scoring performances, including a franchise-record 30-point outing on Aug. 13 against the Washington Mystics. Her defensive presence earned her All-Defensive Second Team honors, helping the Valkyries lead the WNBA in opponent scoring (76.3 points per game) and finish third in defensive rating (99.8).

Originally selected seventh overall by the Dallas Wings in the 2022 WNBA Draft, Burton had started just 20 games across her first three seasons before her breakout. After being acquired in the 2024 expansion draft, she became the nucleus of Golden State’s success, especially after a midseason injury to Kayla Thornton. Burton helped guide the team to the playoffs, making it the first time an expansion team reached the postseason in its inaugural season.

The Valkyries open their 2026 regular season on Friday, May 8, against the Seattle Storm.

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