Phoenix Mercury lose Monique Billings to Golden State Valkyries in expansion draft
The former Mercury forward is now on the Valkyries' roster after Friday's expansion draft. Billings was the one unrestricted free agent Golden State selected in the draft.
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Mercury lost forward Monique Billings to the Golden State Valkyries in Friday’s expansion draft.
The 6-foot-4 forward out of UCLA is now on the roster of the league’s newest expansion team but joins them as an unrestricted free agent.
Billings originally joined the Mercury after signing a seven-day contract with the team on Aug. 18, 2024. She signed a rest-of-season contract with the club a week later.
She averaged 4.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 0.5 assists and shot 43.4% from the field in 18.1 minutes across 13 games (and two starts) with the Mercury.
Billings, 28, previously played 24 games for the Dallas Wings during the 2024 season on a hardship contract, averaging 8.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists while shooting 47.5% from the field. Billings started 12 games with the Wings and had five double-doubles with Dallas.
The veteran was drafted No. 15 overall by the Dream in 2018 and spent her first six seasons in Atlanta.
She signed a training camp contract with the Los Angeles Sparks last offseason but did not make the team’s opening night roster prior to signing with Dallas.
How did the Golden State Valkyries expansion draft work?
Each of the league’s other 12 franchises could protect a maximum of six players from selection. Golden State was allowed to select one player from each team, but only one unrestricted free agent in total from the available pool of players.
After the end of the season, each team was required to submit a roster list of every player the team has rights to as of the last day of the 2024 regular season.
Each team’s roster list also included a list of protected players that needed to be submitted to the league by Nov. 25.
Golden State was not required to select a player from each team’s list and could pass. The Valkyries will also build their roster through free agency and from April’s 2025 WNBA Draft. Golden State owns the No. 5 overall pick and will select fifth in the second and third rounds.
Golden State is allowed to waive any player selected in Friday’s expansion draft without it affecting the team’s salary cap.
Any player on a team’s active roster was eligible to be protected, including free agents, however, Golden State could not select unrestricted free agents that have already used up their core designation.
For example, Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner is an uncoreable unrestricted free agent (because she has already used up her core designations), so the Mercury did not need to protect Griner.
In addition to Griner, Diana Taurasi is an unrestricted free agent.
Amy Atwell, Kiki Herbert Harrigan, Natasha Mack, Charisma Osborne and Celeste Taylor are all reserved free agents.
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