Warriors' WNBA expansion team already feeling a little heat

There’s no pressure.

Jess Smith, the president of the as-yet unnamed Golden State Warriors’ WNBA team, only has a couple goals owner Joe Lacob wants her to reach:

1) Fill the 18,064-seat Chase Center; and

2) Win a championship within five years.

The clock will start ticking next season, but the wheels are already in motion this year for the new team – beginning, first and foremost, with the delicate negotiations over exactly how the expansion franchise will be stocked with players.

Historically, expansion teams have three pools to choose from: an expansion draft, the college draft and free agents. None of those pools, however, are very deep.

The expansion draft will be formatted so that existing teams can protect a certain number of players on their roster, and the expansion drafter can choose whoever is unprotected. The big question, though, is what’s the certain number. Existing teams want it to be as high as possible – seven, say – while the new team wants it as low as possible – like five.

The negotiations are complicated by the fact that the WNBA rosters are not deep. Most teams have three or four players who are solid starters or better, and then fill out the rotation with not-quite-ready-for-big-minutes talent. The reserves are quality players, yes, but they can’t compete with the elite players who are the basis of a championship team.

So if existing teams can protect seven players, the Bay Area team will essentially pick through scraps to create a roster. Even if the number were only five, it will still be hard for the San Francisco franchise to be competitive any time soon.

Ah, but what about the college draft? The Caitlin Clarks and Cameron Brinks of the world?

Good luck there. Existing lottery teams have “earned” their shot at those top players with two bad seasons, and they’re not going to hand over their place in line to some newcomer – so expect the first draft pick for the new team to be number five. And again, the talent pool is not that deep, and a look at recent number five picks is no reason to believe a young star will arrive ready to take the league by storm.

Free agents? There will be some veterans who are unprotected in the draft, but of course they are unprotected because their old team doesn’t value them that highly. And free agents who aren’t in the league in 2024 aren’t in the league for a reason: They’re not good enough to help a team win.

Which means the reality is that the Bay Area’s new team will be like almost all expansion teams – not very good. “Not very good” translates to “not many wins,” and the history of the WNBA, and indeed all pro sports, is that attendance is directly tied to winning. Too many losses, and the fans drift away.

Exacerbating the difficulties for Smith in filling the Chase Center is that it’s a fully modern arena without much parking – so potential ticket-buyers must first figure out how to get there. BART is problematic for a variety of reasons, including the fact the nearest stop is more than a mile away. San Francisco’s own transit system is, at best, OK, and since most of the customers will come from outside the city, it is of far less importance than BART.

Which means a lot of people have to drive, and not only can the traffic be brutal, the bridge toll is usually $7. And parking? Maybe you can find a spot within a mile for $40, but realistically, it’s $50 and up.

And you still haven’t paid for your ticket or bought a hot dog.

Smith is undaunted. “This isn’t a Stanford game or a Cal game,” she says. “This is the best of the best. Ticket prices will be accessible, and we will put on a state-of-the-art show.”

Warrior fans have experienced that show, from fireworks (yes, indoors) to DJs to halftime performers to huge video screens, so there will always be something going on. Including a basketball game, which means that the new franchise needs more than players. Neither a coach or a general manager have been hired yet, “but it’s our top priority,” says Smith.

And the fact that she’s backed up by what is considered one of the most efficient and well-funded organizations in the NBA makes her job easier. “We’re coming into an umbrella company. We have legal, we have financial – they’re here. We don’t have to do so many of the small things.”

And one of the big things has already been taken care of: a practice facility. The new team will be headquartered in what was once the Oakland base for the Warriors. There are three full courts, offices and all the facilities required for a professional basketball team.

“We’ll be one of four WNBA teams with our own facility,” Smith says, since the Warriors have moved across the Bay to the Chase Center.

Now all they need is … well, quite a bit actually. A name, players, coaches, administrators, and, oh yes, fans.

But as the saying goes, build it and they will come – it’s up to Jess Smith, however, to build it well enough so that those fans do come streaming through the doors, and sit down to watch a team that’s in contention for a WNBA title.

And soon.

No pressure.

Jess Smith, president of the Bay Area's WNBA expansion team.Photo byGolden State Warriors