Did Justė Jocytė request a trade from the Valkyries?

Yes, reportedly. After a Lithuanian media interview in November 2026 where she said she wasn't sure she wanted to return, reports said she told GM Ohemaa Nyanin she wants a trade. She is under a rookie-scale contract through 2028.

Why did Janelle Salaün miss the Valkyries' championship parade?

She said she had a family commitment. She also missed the team's exit interviews and traveled to Charlotte to watch her brother, Hornets forward Tidjane Salaün, who publicly criticized how Golden State used her in the Finals.

Who won 2026 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year?

Janelle Salaün of the Golden State Valkyries, the first unanimous winner in the award's history. She set a WNBA record with 509 points off the bench and led all reserves at 12.7 points per game.

How much did Justė Jocytė play in 2026?

She played 16 regular-season games at 8.1 minutes per game, plus two playoff appearances, shooting 42% from three.

Will Janelle Salaün return to Golden State in 2027?

It's unclear. She has one year left on her contract, and GM Ohemaa Nyanin said her future "still needs to be determined."

Champions, But Not Staying? Why Jocytė and Salaün May Leave the Valkyries.

3 hours ago

4 min read

Golden State Valkyries offseason: Justė Jocytė and Janelle Salaün's uncertain future

The Valkyries won it all. Two of their internationals might not be back to defend it.

The Golden State Valkyries just pulled off the fastest title run by an expansion team in US pro sports. Confetti's barely been swept off the Embarcadero. And yet, the biggest offseason storyline in the Bay isn't about running it back. It's about who's walking out.

Justė Jocytė, the franchise's first-ever draft pick, has told Lithuanian media she doesn't really want to return. Janelle Salaün, the league's first unanimous Sixth Player of the Year, skipped both exit interviews and the championship parade. Her brother, Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaün, went public accusing the team of freezing her out.

Winning a ring is supposed to fix everything. For these two, it didn't. Let's break it down.

"I didn't understand the real reason. It happened that way, and you can't change anything." — Justė Jocytė

Justė Jocytė: The Franchise's First Pick Who Barely Played

Quick refresher: Golden State shocked everyone in 2025 by using its first-ever draft pick (fifth overall) on a Lithuanian teenager instead of an NCAA star. Jocytė stayed in Europe for a year, then finally arrived in May 2026 billed as a future cornerstone. A pro since 14, the youngest player ever to debut in the women's EuroLeague, a two-time Lithuanian Player of the Year. The hype was real.

The minutes were not. She appeared in just 16 regular-season games at 8.1 minutes a night, plus two brief playoff appearances. When she did play, she shot 42% from three.

In her interview back home, she described the title as both fun and a little sad, said she felt she didn't contribute much, and admitted she doesn't know if she wants to come back. Head coach Natalie Nakase's public explanations shifted over the season: learning the playbook, trying her at point guard, adjusting to WNBA physicality. Jocytė called them excuses and says she never had a real one-on-one with Nakase about her role.

She has reportedly asked GM Ohemaa Nyanin for a trade. One catch: she's on a rookie-scale deal through 2028, so the Valkyries control this. Owner Joe Lacob says they'd love to have her back and that, at 20, she'll earn more time. Whether she believes that is another story.

Janelle Salaün: Record-Breaker, Then Benched in the Finals

Salaün's situation is even stranger, because her season was elite. She came off the bench all year after starting 33 of 36 games as a rookie, and she made it work: a WNBA-record 509 bench points, 12.7 points per game, and all 74 first-place votes for Sixth Player of the Year. She cried during the award ceremony at Chase Center.

Then the Finals happened. Nine total minutes and zero points across Games 1 and 2. Thirteen points in 12 minutes in Game 3. Three minutes in Game 4. Then nothing for the rest of the series.

After the title, she missed the November 2 exit interviews and the November 4 parade, citing a family commitment, and traveled to Charlotte to watch her brother play. Tidjane didn't hold back in a French interview, saying the team was keeping her out of the rotation and that there was no basketball, physical or mental reason for it.

"They are boycotting her and it's a shame." — Tidjane Salaün, to BeBasket

Nyanin's response? Salaün's future "still needs to be determined." She has one year left on her contract. Read between the lines.

The Numbers Tell the Story

Why We Can't Blame Them

The hot take online is that leaving a championship team is crazy. We get it. But that take ignores two things.

1. This is about basketball, not drama

Nobody is accusing Nakase of being a bad person. Her defense-first, no-ego system just won a title. But a system that works for the team doesn't always work for every player in it. Jocytė is 20 and needs reps to develop. Salaün just proved she's one of the best scorers off any bench in the league. Wanting a coach whose vision includes you is normal. Every one of us wants to show up to work on the same page as our boss.

2. A WNBA ring means something different to internationals

As TikTok creator @wwonder03 pointed out in the video that sparked this conversation, American players grow up with the W as the highest level they can reach. For Europeans, it's one stage among several. Salaün has an Olympic silver medal from Paris 2024, a French title and an Italian Finals MVP. Jocytė has been playing EuroLeague since she was 14. Their club careers and national teams carry huge weight. A W ring matters, but not enough to sit on the bench for it.

That's not a knock on either of them. It's a reminder that women's basketball is global, and the WNBA has to compete for talent like everyone else.

Not everybody measures a season the same way. For these two, minutes and a real role matter more than a ring they barely got to play for.

What Happens Next

Golden State holds the cards. Both players are under contract, so any exit runs through a trade, and public frustration usually lowers a team's leverage. Expect teams that need young shooting and wing scoring (Washington, Chicago, LA and Indiana are already being floated) to call.

Finals MVP Gabby Williams already hinted that this exact group might not be back. Now we know why. The Valkyries proved castoffs can win a title. The next test is whether they can keep the talent that wants more than a ring.