The champagne might still be flowing for the Golden State Valkyries after their history-making 2026 WNBA championship, but the league’s offseason drama is already kicking off. With over 70 players, including 31 unrestricted free agents, set to hit the market, a frothy trade season is brewing. Teams are desperate to mimic the Valkyries’ championship blueprint, and one of their own, Janelle Salaün, the unanimous Sixth Player of the Year, is a top trade candidate.
Sixth Player of the Year Gets Benched? You Read That Right.
Let’s talk about Janelle Salaün. This woman was the *unanimous* Sixth Player of the Year, yet her minutes during the Valkyries’ title run? They practically vanished. It’s like a bizarre magic trick where your best bench player just disappears when the stakes are highest. She played more than 50 minutes combined across Golden State’s first two first-round games against the Dallas Wings, but then her minutes absolutely cratered in Game 3. From that point on, she never saw more than 12 minutes in any single game. Even in Game 3 of the Finals against the Dream, she dropped 13 points, hitting three 3-pointers, all in just 12 minutes! You’d think that would earn her some run, right? Wrong. She played less than three minutes across Games 4, 5, 6, and 7, seeing zero court time in the final three games of the series. Seriously, how does that happen?
Regular Season Star vs. Playoff Player: The Ultimate Test
This whole situation brings to mind what NBA legend Draymond Green used to say about 82-game players versus 16-game players, valuing those who could win playoff games. Salaün might just be the WNBA’s prime example of a 44-game player versus a nine-game player. The regular season lets players shine with their strengths, but the postseason, oh man, that’s where weaknesses get exposed. Players with fewer liabilities, even if they don’t have massive strengths, sometimes gain more value in the playoffs. Salaün’s superpower is her 3-point shooting. She can walk in cold off the bench and immediately get on a heater. Her high-release and high-volume makes her a huge floor spacer, forcing defenders to stick to her like glue. But for some reason, that incredible skill just wasn’t enough to keep her on the floor when the chips were down.
So, what’s next for Salaün? You can bet every GM in the league is watching this. With the WNBA offseason business officially kicking off soon, the trade market is about to go absolutely wild. Who’s gonna make the first move for a Sixth Player of the Year who got sidelined in the Finals? What kind of return will the Valkyries demand? We’re all gonna be glued to our screens, waiting to see where this saga takes us next!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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