Valkyries’ Natalie Nakase breaks silence on ‘tough’ roster cuts

SAN FRANCISCO– It is decision-making time for the Golden State Valkyries as they look to finalize their roster with the regular season quickly approaching.

With only 12 roster spots available, plus two freshly introduced developmental spots, Golden State waived six players this past weekend, most notably rookie Marta Suárez, who many believed had a good chance of making the team.

After the Valkyries’ Sunday practice, coach Natalie Nakase spoke about the recent round of roster cuts and what they mean for the team moving forward.

“Felt like losing family members. You could definitely feel the energy shift,” Nakase said solemnly.

“But with tough decisions, it’s my job to still find the 14 that fit together the best. And right now, we’re still in the process of evaluating. It’s still early. So seeing the connectivity between the players, both on and, mostly for me, off the court, is the value that I’m looking at right now.”

Suárez and the other players the Valkyries cut still have some hope to stay in the Bay thanks to those developmental spots. Per the new CBA, players on contracts have to be waived and clear waivers before they can sign a developmental contract, which is part of the reason why the Valkyries had to cut all these players.

What will Golden State do with its developmental spots?

Because of where Golden State drafted Suárez this season, it’s been thought that the team would like to add her back on a developmental spot. Especially given all the high praise Nakase and general manager Ohemaa Nyanin have heaped onto her.

But Nakase did not express a commitment to that idea when asked if she and the front office hope to bring Suárez back on a developmental spot.

“Like I said, we’re still evaluating… because the players were all very impressive, both on and off the court, we want to make sure we’re evaluating because we understand those two spots are going to be part of our family. So I want to just make sure we’re doing the right thing. We’re looking at everything, and we’ll continue to make tough decisions.”

With players needing 48 hours to clear waivers, the Valkyries have to wait to re-up any of the players they cut to developmental contracts.

That leaves Golden State vulnerable to another team swooping in and picking up Suárez, which is a scenario that benefits the rookie much more financially, given the difference between a rookie-scale contract and a developmental one.

A rebuilding team with cap space like the Portland Fire or even the Seattle Storm, the team Golden State got Suárez’s draft rights from in the first place, is more than capable of taking on Suárez’s contract.

Tough decisions on the horizon for the Valkyries

But sprinkled into Nakase’s comments at practice was an acknowledgment of the elephant in the room– tougher decisions are on the horizon.

With 13 players left under contract, the Valkyries will need to cut one more player to reach the 12-player maximum. Among those on the bubble, it appears as though the final cut will come down to Kaitlyn Chen or Laeticia Amihere, two players the coaches and locker room adore.

As of late, it seems like Chen has the inside track on earning that spot for two reasons. Firstly, Chen has earned Nakase’s trust as a floor general; Nakase includes her in all her meetings with Burton. And secondly, Golden State needs a backup point guard.

It’s not for a lack of talent on Amihere’s end, but the Valkyries’ log jam at forward and center seems to be working against her right now.

Regardless, fit and connectivity have been Nakase’s anthem throughout training camp when it comes to finalizing the Valkyries’ roster. In her words, it is the thing Nakase values most when evaluating players.

“I value that more than anything,” Nakase said.

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