The New York Liberty were preparing for this possibility for a while.
They are the reigning WNBA champions; it follows that they have one of the deepest rosters in the league. As the W prepares to add four teams over the next four seasons — starting with the Golden State Valkyries in 2025 — key contributors will be cultured away by the newcomers thanks to expansion drafts.
That process started on Friday evening, as the Valkyries plucked Kayla Thornton away from the New York Liberty.
Thornton is simply a casualty of having too many good players; we can assume (but do not know for a fact) that Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, Leonie Fiebich, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, and Nyara Sabally were protected by the Libs.