The WNBA will hold its first expansion draft in 16 years on Dec. 6th when the Golden State Valkyries assemble their roster. Golden State can pick one player from each team and will not be limited by a salary cap, but they will need to be compliant with the cap by February.
Teams will have the ability to protect six players on their rosters. The list will include every player a team holds the rights to at the end of the 2024 season.
The Valkyries will have the ability to select one unrestricted free agent who has not been cored by their team for two-plus seasons. The core rule allows WNBA teams to designate a player as an integral part of the team essentially revoking their unrestricted-free-agent status and allowing the team to exclusively negotiate a new contract with that player.
The WNBA will have a two-team expansion draft in 2025 before Portland and Toronto joins the league in 2026.
The NBA will likely have an expansion draft in the near future. Sam Presti has lobbied for the league to alter it's rules where teams are allowed to protect additional players.