The Golden State Valkyries had a lot of firsts last year in their inaugural season. On Monday night, they had another first: a trade. The Valkyries traded Flau’Jae Johnson, whom they drafted the same night with the No. 8 pick, to the Seattle Storm.
In exchange, they received Marta Suárez, who was selected by Seattle with the No. 16 pick, and a 2028 second-round pick. Suárez joined Ashlon Jackson and Kokoro Tanaka as Golden State’s three rookies for the 2026 season.
“I don’t have a lot of detail to share,” Valkyries General Manager Ohemaa Nyanin said after the draft regarding the trade. “One, because I’m exhausted. Two, because I want to be very thoughtful when I’m talking about other humans and their basketball abilities and how they would or would not show up for our squad. What I can say is, even through all of this exhaustion, I’m extremely excited about all of the athletes that we’ve signed or about to sign.”
The three players the Valkyries selected all fit into the mold of the kind of player they used to find success in their inaugural season. They have shown a liking for players who can shoot the three-ball, can be versatile on defense, and have good character. If they’re international players, even better.
This past year at TCU, Suárez averaged 16.7 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Horned Frogs. She also shot 36% from beyond the arc on almost six attempts per game. She also had one triple-double last year and scored 33 points in TCU’s Sweet Sixteen win over Virginia. The native of Oviedo, Spain, started her college career at Tennessee, then transferred to Cal before finishing up at TCU.
The stats for Suárez tell the story of why she will fit into Natalie Nakase’s system. Suárez is the definition of a versatile stretch forward. She is great in the pick and pop game and doesn’t hesitate to shoot the deep ball. She can also pound the ball inside and finish at the rim at a high level, as she shot 51% on two-pointers last season. She improved each year in college, increasing her scoring and rebounding averages even while playing at three different schools. Despite being traded, Suárez was excited to come back to the Bay Area.
“The moment they tell me that I’m going back to the bay,” Suárez said after being traded to the Valkyries. “I know my support group, my favorite Chinese spot ever since San Francisco. I am going back to that. Extremely excited, extremely humbled, extremely grateful. I had talked to the GM and to a couple of people from the team, in the process of getting to know each other, and they had touched my heart. So, to know that somehow, I made an impact on them as well. Just very, very exciting.”
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In the second round, the Valkyries selected Ashlon Jackson from Duke at No. 23 overall. Jackson played four years for the Blue Devils, starting 106 games at point guard. She averaged 11.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists for Duke last season. She is best remembered for the game-winning three she hit in the Sweet Sixteen against LSU last month.
During her time at Duke, Jackson showed that she was a quality three-point shooter and a composed floor leader. In her last two years with the Blue Devils, she knocked 160 threes and finished her time there as a 34% three-point shooter. Duke was consistently one of the best defensive teams in the country and Jackson was at the head of that elite defense.
After losing Carla Leite in the expansion draft, Golden State needed someone to back up point guard Veronica Burton. Jackson mirrors Burton’s ability to knock down the three and play hard-nosed defense. With those similarities, Jackson should fit into Nakase’s system and will have the opportunity to learn from both Nakase, a former point guard, and Burton.
“Ashlon is an elite competitor and a winner,” said Nyanin. “She has a high basketball IQ and a team-first mentality. She brings a level of compassion and has proven that she is willing to do whatever the team needs to succeed.”
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Kokoro Tanaka was the Valkyrie’s last pick at No. 38 overall. The 20-year-old native of Japan has really made a name for herself on the international stage. She averaged 14.8 points and 5.5 assists for the Japanese national team at the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup. She also averaged 10.8 points for Japan at the 2026 FIBA World Cup Qualifying tournament. Tanaka is an elite shooter who can knock down the long ball from very deep. She also gets to the basket well.
For Golden State, Monday night’s draft was a continuation of the build they have been making since their expansion draft last year. Their picks all fit their desire to be an aggressive defensive team that has offensive versatility and an abundance of shooting. With the additions they’ve made in free agency and the draft, they’ll look to build on the success they made in year one.
