Valkyries ‘focused internally’ ahead of WNBA trade deadline

OAKLAND – As the August 2 WNBA trade deadline quickly approaches, the Golden State Valkyries are doing their best to block out the outside noise, as the front office actively explores the options on the market.

“Fortunately for us, I think we have a team that is very internally focused,” star point guard Veronica Burton said of how the team is handling the strangeness of this time of the season, after Golden State’s Friday afternoon practice.

“I don’t think we really pay much attention to what’s going on outside of our gym and our locker room. Again, the things that are in our control [are] being here, being present, playing for one another, and that’s what we’re going to do. That’s what we’re focused on, and the rest isn’t really up to us.”

The Valkyries, at 19-9 on the season and firmly in the WNBA title race, have been plunged into trade rumors over the past several days as trade talk heats up across the league, with the team weighing whether or not to disrupt the culture, connectivity, and depth they’ve built this season by making a big splash at the deadline. As Valkyries general manager Ohemaa Nyanin said on 95.7 The Game earlier this week, Golden State is “evaluating everything.”

And in those talks, rumors, and intel drops, Golden State has been primarily tied to Los Angeles Sparks’ star guard Kelsey Plum, with speculation regarding whether the two-time champion could be on the move at the deadline. The Valkyries have made exploratory calls to the Sparks regarding the price on Plum, first reported by Justin Russo of Russo Writes and confirmed by ClutchPoints, but according to ESPN, Golden State is hesitant to part with “multiple key contributors” given their confidence in the roster currently in place to continue winning this season and how a trade could destabilize their continuity.

Because Golden State is right near the hard salary cap, they have to match any incoming salary in a potential trade, meaning they would have to aggregate the salaries of multiple players in a potential Plum trade. Hence, the potential risk in upending their strength-in-numbers identity, an identity that the Valkyries genuinely value. Later during her media scrum, Burton explained how the Valkyries’ chemistry and culture have grown stronger throughout the course of this season.

“As we spend more time together, as we travel together, hang out with each other off the court, it continues to grow,” Burton said of the Valkyries’ closeness with each other. “And as you succeed together and fail, like I think that’s where the chemistry is stretched, and it’s grown, and I think we have a really great locker room, and I think it shows on the court in how connected we are.”

Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase on the trade deadline

Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase is well aware of the awkwardness this time of the year brings for a team in the midst of trade speculation, but understands it’s up to Nyanin to decide the Golden State’s course of action.

“I understand the timing of everything, and I love my players. I love every single one of them,” Nakase said. “Ohemaa [Nyanin], we’re in constant conversations, but I also do understand it’s her job to construct the roster. But we are obviously in constant communication.”

It’s a “balance” between remaining focused on the next game following their loss to the Phoenix Mercury while also having the necessary conversations about the options on the table. Nakase continued to praise Nyanin and placed her faith in the general manager to make the right decision.

“We’re focused [but] we got to [have] balance. We have to have those conversations. So again, that’s what Ohemaa is great at. I think she’s elite,” Nakase said. “I don’t think she got enough credit again for the roster that she constructed in this offseason and prior to free agency, and then getting the free agents. So I’m just gonna let her be herself and be great at what she does. She lets me be great at what I do. So I just want to continue that. And you guys understand, I’m so pissed from our loss that my focus is on energy. We’ve got to win the next game.”

Nakase did not say what she believes the team should do at the deadline. However, when asked if the culture and chemistry aspect of the Valkyries could be a reason why their best course of action might be to wait for the offseason and pitch potential free agents on their environment, the second-year head coach emphasized that the culture they have built remains institutionally important to their values.

“Our goal was to be a better team than last year. Take our strength, our connectivity, our care factor, our culture. Our locker room was probably the best… The best I’ve ever felt,” Nakase said passionately.

“I got a lot of compliments on the culture that we built; you really kind of never want to stray away from that. That’s a thing I would say. A lot of head coaches would say, if you have a great culture, don’t f*** with it. So I would say that we’re focused on that, and people who care about each other and people that also who are also allowed to be their authentic self.”

If Nakase’s words provide any insight into what the Valkyries may do at the deadline, it’s that Golden State values culture and identity. How they choose to maintain those core values will be on the big decision-makers’ minds with less than 48 hours till the trade deadline.

Natalie Nakase was asked how the culture the Valkyries have built factors into to determining if waiting till the offseason to make a move could be a better route:

“A lot of head coaches would say if you have a great culture, you don’t, fuck with it.“

Full soundbite here: pic.twitter.com/509qvAHXIE

— Kenzo Fukuda (@kenzofuku) July 31, 2026

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