Will Valkyries add interior scoring at trade deadline? Injuries might force their hand

San Francisco Chronicle​

3 days ago

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Golden State Valkyries called their 77-75 win in Atlanta on Tuesday 'resilient.' First, it was veteran guard Tiffany Hayes. Then, head coach Natalie Nakase echoed the word. But the team nearly blew another fourth-quarter lead, as it has done four times this season.
The Valkyries entered the fourth frame with the Dream up 13 points before a 4-for-14 shooting performance and just eight fourth-quarter points.
Nakase wanted to blame officiating, as has become tradition. Hayes was a bit more candid, saying, 'There were mishaps on our end.'
Beyond late-game execution, the Valkyries' persistent issue loomed again: a weak inside offense. Golden State scores the second fewest paint points in the WNBA at 30.2 per contest. Golden State's 18 attempts per game within 5 feet of the basket are the second fewest in the league.
The addition of 6-foot-4 center Iliana Rupert made the Valkyries a bit bigger, but she has yet to become a force inside. All-Star Kayla Thornton, who provided perimeter shooting at power forward, was ruled out for the season on Friday with a right knee injury. Then Monique Billings, who started alongside Temi Fagbenle on Tuesday for a rare double-post look from Nakase, reinjured her left ankle in the second quarter.
If they suspect Billings, who was to be out Thursday in Washington, will be nursing the injury the rest of the season, Golden State might have a hole to address before the Aug. 7 trade deadline.
Billings, who leads the Valkyries with a 78.9% shooting percentage from inside 4 feet, had missed two games with the injury before getting the start in Atlanta. Nakase had no update postgame.
In the two games Billings missed, wing Cecilia Zandalasini took over that spot, but she rarely plays on the inside, with just 20.8% of her shots coming in the paint.
'With KT going down and trying to find who we are now, that's a huge loss, so I'm giving our team grace,' said reserve center Laeticia Amihere. 'It's hard to replace, with her size, too — everyone has to give a bit more now.'
Rupert has not been an inside threat offensively, having taken six total paint shots with the Valkyries to 11 3-point attempts entering Thursday. Amihere, who is third among available players with 4.4 paint points per game, is ultimately a bench rotation player.
The Valkyries have ample salary cap space to do whatever they want, but not the roster room without making a cut or a trade.
If the Valkyries want to rely on Zandalasini as a starter — in the first three games after the All-Star break, she shot 52.6% with 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game — should they really invest in another bench big?
Nakase has started two posts just twice this season, both in Atlanta against the Brittney Griner-Brionna Jones duo. Few WNBA teams have that kind of rotation.
'It's just matchup-based,' Nakase said, before citing the foul trouble Fagbenle got in during the July 7 matchup.
But is Amihere enough to spell Fagbenle off the bench, or do the Valkyries need to look outside the organization? They could try to use Rupert in a more traditional center role, but when they put her on Griner on Tuesday, she picked up two quick fouls. Rupert has a 126.5 defensive rating in her first 53 minutes, according to WNBA Stats.
'Natalie is familiar with how I play,' Rupert said. 'I like the style of play that we have. It's a lot of movements, and I think it fits my game really well. They know I want to shoot, they know I can do that from the outside.'
A few bigs could be available at the deadline. Las Vegas Aces center Megan Gustafson has been floated as available because of the Aces' depth. The Washington Mystics' Aaliyah Edwards, a 6-3 second-year forward, reportedly requested a trade and has a season left on her contract, so Golden State might need to give up a young asset if they want to add her.
Washington boasts a deep frontcourt, but the Mystics, also vying for a playoff spot, lack 3-point shooters, of which the Valkyries have an abundance.
Isabelle Harrison, who is 6-3, is also likely to be waived once Emma Meesseman joins New York after the Liberty added former Valkyries forward Steph Talbot. Dallas forward Myisha Hines-Allen, who has been rumored by ESPN to be available, has been pushed to the peripheral rotation and might get more time at Golden State.
The Valkyries' willingness to make a move might ultimately depend on their confidence in Billings' health.