For the first time since 2008, a new WNBA team, the Golden State Valkyries, is joining the league and on Friday night they had their pick at a list of available players in the WNBA expansion draft.
Among those players drafted by Golden State was Liberty forward Kayla Thornton.
Thornton spent the last two seasons in New York and played a key role off the bench in the Liberty’s championship run last season, averaging 5.5 points and 2.6 rebounds per game. The 32-year-old also shot 35.7 percent from three-point range and averaged the sixth-most minutes on the team (20.2) while making 11 starts.
“It is incredibly difficult to say goodbye to a player like KT who contributed to the New York Liberty in so many ways over these past two years, including our franchise’s first-ever championship,” said Liberty GM Jonathan Kolb following the draft. “KT quickly became an indelible part of the Liberty family during her two seasons here.
“We look forward to celebrating her on May 27 during her return to Barclays Center with open arms where she’ll receive her well-earned championship ring.”
Despite her success in New York, the Liberty chose not to protect her from being selected in the expansion draft.
According to the rules of the draft, every team in the league was allowed to designate a maximum of six “protected players” on its roster who would not be available in the draft. Although the names of those players were not publicly released, it’s highly likely that New York chose to protect its starting five from last season: Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Betnijah-Laney Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich.
The last protected player likely came down to Thornton and Nyara Sabally, the third-year pro who scored 13 points off the bench in the Liberty’s Game 5 overtime win over the Minnesota Lynx to help secure New York its first championship in franchise history.
It was possible the Liberty would go unscathed in the expansion draft as the Valkyries had the option not to take a player from each team. However, allowed to pick one player from every team’s available players, Golden State opted to select the nine-year veteran in Thornton.
In her career, which includes six seasons with the Dallas Wings before joining New York, Thornton has averaged 7.0 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 274 games (143 starts).
