Golden State Valkyrie waive Kaitlyn Chen ahead of 2025 WNBA season

San Francisco, May 14 (CNA) Kaitlyn Chen (陳紫柔), the first Taiwanese-American basketball player drafted by the WNBA, has been waived by the expansion Golden State Valkyries on the eve of the San Francisco-based team's inaugural season.

The Valkyries on Wednesday announced their parting ways with Chen, along with another four players, as it finalized the 12-player roster for its inaugural opener against the Los Angeles Sparks on Friday.

According to the WNBA rules, after a player is placed on waivers, other teams can pick her up within the following 48 hours, or she will become an unrestricted free agent, open to a new contract with any team in the league.

That move by the Valkyries came about one month after they drafted Chen on April 14 in the third round, with an overall 30th pick, shortly after she helped the University of Connecticut's female varsity to lift their 12th national championship on April 6.

Previously, she played for Princeton University and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Ivy League tournament three times in 2022-24 before she suited up for UConn in 2024.

Chen played in both of the Valkyries' two preseason games, recording two points, three rebounds, and one assist in 12 minutes and 38 seconds on the floor.

Matt Lively, a CBS Sports reporter covering the Bay Area, described Chen as one of the two "notable cuts" by the Valkyries, along with her Canadian teammate Laeticia Amihere.

With their first-round pick Justė Jocytė expected to debut in 2026, Lively noted that the Valkyries will have none of their 2025 draftees on their inaugural roster.

The San Francisco Standard said the Valkyries "are not acting like most [professional] expansion teams," which "rely on an infusion of young talent to build a foundation for the future."

However, it has been formidable for the WNBA draftees beyond the first round to survive in the league, given the limited spots of the growing league.

Founded in 1997 with eight teams, the WNBA has remained at 12 teams since the joining of the Atlanta Dream in 2008, before the addition of the Valkyries. That translates to a total of 156 spots in the 13-team league in 2025.