Seems like they included in protected lists players that are UFA's (e.g. Hayes, Parker and C. Williams). I guess in the past UFA could be selected but only one who had to be cored. I also question some of protected players. On the Dream I wouldn't protect Parker based on what she did this year. They would be better off taking a chance on her. Certainly the same for Lavandar for Indiana. Of course, neither team has much else to protect, I'm just thinking an expansion draft would be a way to do a salary dump.
My list for the Dream:
Crystal Bradford
Chennedy Carter
Tiffany Hayes
Aari McDonald
Billings (instead of Parker) Courtney Williams
The Sky:
Kahleah Copper
Diamond DeShield Stevens instead of Dolson Candace Parker
Allie Quigley
Courtney Vandersloot
Indiana:
Kysre Gondrezick
Bernadett Hatar
Jantel Lavender-x leave her unprotected and pray Oakland takes her. She hasn't done anything in 3 or 4 years now. Kelsey Mitchell
Teaira McCowan
Danielle Robinson
NY
Bec Allen
Natasha Howard
Sabrina Ionescu
Betnijah Laney
Durr or Johannes instead of Shook Sami Whitcomb
Phoenix Skylar Diggins-Smith
Brittney Griner
Kia Nurse
Diana Taurasi
Brianna Turner
Cunningham instead of Walker (or maybe Nurse)
DC - I would protect Elena Delle Donne instead of Lelani Mitchel.
Ariel Atkins
Tina Charles
Alysha Clark
Natasha Cloud
Myisha Hines-Allen
Elena Delle Donne instead of Lelani Mitchel (unless they know something about EDD's health problems I don't).
Chennedy Carter seems like perfect expansion fodder to me. She comes in, scores a bunch of points and no one cares that she's poison because you're going to lose anyway.
And unless Atlanta can find someone willing to deal with a player who has been labeled selfish and impossible to play with since high school, an expansion draft is just the ticket.
The Oakland vote took place in July, I think. No news on this since.
The term sheet, though, did show the nightly cost for the arena is $86,000. I do think there's a chance this happens, but only if Joe Lacob is willing to let it happen. I still think the 17 dates at the Chase Center are valuable for the Warriors, and I'm not sure the WNBA would put a team in Oakland if Lacob is still interested.
The group pushing the Oakland franchise is primarily interested in bringing an NFL team to Oakland. The WNBA team is, in part, a politically correct addition to the proposal.
I would guess this is unlikely to happen if the 49ers block a team in Oakland, and I can't imagine the 49ers not doing so.
Another issue is the A's, who seem determined to follow the Raiders to Las Vegas. If they leave, there's a large empty stadium right next to a large empty arena, and 17 WNBA games won't change the equation.
No blame on Engelbert but there is zero content in this story. Expansion, as always, depends on finding owners willing to risk losing large sums of money.
It's great that ratings are up, and the ESPN deal expires after next season (I'm pretty sure), but it will be interesting to see whether ESPN, or another network or platform, will be willing to pay more the rights. And of course expansion means splitting that money more ways.
Really, the key to making money as a WNBA owner is attendance, and it's unclear whether paying customers are on the rise or not. Note that the term sheet in Oakland for a proposed expansion team marked the cost of putting on each game at $86,000 -- which, at $20 a ticket, is about 4,300 fans. How many WNBA teams draw 4,300 paying customers for every game? (Atlanta may not hit that number in four games.)
Let's hope that next summer there are no COVID restrictions and attendance increases in line with viewership. If that happens, then finding owners will be much easier.