Valkyries GM has team-building cred. But she just failed at one key part of her job
But another part of Nyanin's job is to be forward facing, a conduit through the media to the growing fan base that supports the Valkyries. The folks who buy the tickets and the merchandise, who are invested financially and emotionally. Who are interested in what the team is doing and why. It's part of running a sports franchise.
A general manager - think the 49ers' John Lynch, the Warriors' Mike Dunleavy, the Giants' Zack Minasian or his boss, Buster Posey - needs to be accessible and provide insight into the team's decision-making. Not reveal deep secrets. Not disclose internal strategy. Not give a blow-by-blow of draft room jockeying. But be forthright and provide an understanding of the team's reasoning and thought process. It's part of the job.
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And on that count, in a huge moment for the franchise, Nyanin came up woefully short.
The Valkyries made the biggest news of Monday's WNBA draft: At No. 8, they selected one of the most high-profile players in the draft, LSU's Flau'jae Johnson, then quickly traded her to Seattle for two second-rounders, one selected Monday night and one in the 2028 draft. The trade elicited gasps in the draft room and caught ESPN flat-footed. It was a major surprise, huge news in a league that is very newsworthy. And it was certainly worth an explanation from the woman making the call.
But Nyanin held a post-draft Zoom news conference and refused to not only elaborate on the trade, she avoided the topic altogether, saying, "I don't have a lot of details to share."
To a follow-up question on the trade, she tersely said, "asked and answered." Um, no it wasn't. She cloaked her refusal to answer questions by saying that she wouldn't speak about strategy because other teams were watching. Yet, the trade had already been executed. The draft was over. Everyone already knew what the Valkyries had done.
Nyanin said, "When I'm ready to speak more about what the strategy is behind it, I'll speak on it." But despite repeated requests by the Chronicle for clarity, Nyanin has declined to be available.
Later on draft night, after hours of social media blowback about the weird news conference, Nyanin spoke to ESPN and said that the Storm and Valkyries had agreed to the deal before the draft, without knowing what players would be available. According to ESPN, the deal wasn't executed until the Valkyries were on the clock. They picked Johnson and then, apparently, asked Seattle to pick Marta Suárez at No. 16, likely because Golden State thought she was the best player still available.
It's not that hard to explain. And it doesn't give away trade secrets. It would be helpful for Valkyries fans and media to understand why two second-rounders, one of which can't be cashed in for two years, were preferable to a top 10 prospect.
When asked by the Chronicle earlier in the evening whether the choice had to do with salary cap implications, Nyanin responded by saying, "I don't comment about the salary cap." Most general managers actually do comment about the salary cap, even if only in general ways.
Nyanin is running the WNBA's great success story, a franchise worth $500 million that seemed to do everything right in its first season. But this week, she has been widely criticized for her evasiveness and lack of transparency. The Valkyries were given poor draft grades mostly because of the clumsy handling of the trade.
The general manager came off as ill-prepared for questions that were obviously coming. And while the entire process of free agency and draft has been a condensed pressure cooker, avoiding answers by saying she was "exhausted" isn't adequate because all of her counterparts around the league are in the same situation. Everyone is exhausted. They still do their job.
Nyanin needed to make the case for her decision because, from the outside, it looks messy and confusing. The Valkyries built a tremendous amount of credibility last year, and they raised the bar for what comes next. Did that success lead to a certain amount of arrogance, where accountability isn't necessary?
The WNBA, as a league, has long struggled with its messaging. Nyanin wasn't alone in having a rough public relations night. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, who has been under fire for over a year, wanted to take a victory lap in her predraft news conference and receive praise for the WNBA's new labor agreement.
Instead, Engelbert came off as tone-deaf and patronizing. She compared the player housing plank of the deal to her own adult children who "pay for their own housing," which isn't exactly relevant. When asked about her job security, she played the gender card, saying to the female reporter who posed the question, "I wonder if you would ask that of a man."
Yes. A male leader whose job security is in doubt would absolutely be asked that question.
Ultimately, Engelbert avoided answering the question, which became the theme of the night.
The Valkyries are an important part of the Bay Area sports scene. The WNBA is positioned to be a major sports league and definitely wants to be treated that way. But to be treated equally, they need to operate in the same manner, with professionalism, accessibility and answers - not evasiveness.
It's just another part of the job.
April 15, 2026
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Ann Killion
Sports Columnist
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