Sparks lose Stephanie Talbot to Valkyries in WNBA expansion draft

In Friday’s expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries, the Sparks saw forward Stephanie Talbot selected.

The first of three teams entering the WNBA over the next two years began assembling their roster on Friday as the league held the expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries.

Given the opportunity to select one player per team, the Valkyries selected Stephanie Talbot from the Sparks.

The order was alphabetical, meaning Talbot being the seventh selection had nothing to do with talent or anything of that nature.

Last season with the Sparks, Talbot averaged 3.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 37 games. Only Dearica Hamby, Rickea Jackson and Kia Nurse played more minutes than Talbot, who averaged 16.2 minutes per contest.

Talbot also spent the Olympics break helping Australia to the bronze medal. She was a key rotation player and part-time starter for Australia during the tournament.

Forward was likely the deepest spot for the Sparks and the area they could most absorb a loss in the draft. With Jackson, Rae Burrell, Azurá Stevens, Dearica Hamby and Cameron Brink all in the front court, Talbot’s absence can be more easily absorbed for next season, particularly with a healthy season from Brink.

Talbot was due to make $125,000 next season after signing an extension with the Sparks during the season. Losing her in the draft opens up a sizeable amount of money for the Sparks to spend on free agency. With a max contract only roughly double that amount, it does give them some spending power.

The full rundown of players selected by the Valkyries is as follows:

• Iliana Rupert — Atlanta Dream
• Maria Conde — Chicago Sky
• Veronica Burton — Connecticut Sun
• Carla Leite — Dallas Wings
• Temi Fagbenle — Indiana Fever
• Kate Martin — Las Vegas Aces
• Steph Talbot — Los Angeles Sparks
• Cecilia Zandalasini — Minnesota Lynx
• Kayla Thornton — New York Liberty
• Monique Billings — Phoenix Mercury
• Julie Vanloo — Washington Mystics

Golden State did not select a player from the Seattle Storm.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.