©IMAGO/Icon Sportswire Harshita Saxena · EssentiallySports Wed, November 11, 2026 at 1:35 AM UTC · 5 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Nobody wins a championship hoping to leave, and that is what makes the Golden State Valkyries' offseason so strange. Less than two weeks after Game 7, and a week after a parade along the Embarcadero, one member of the champions has been telling reporters back home that she may not return. Juste Jocyte was the first player the Valkyries ever drafted, and now fans are asking where she goes next. And according to one former college player, the Indiana Fever could be the stop she's looking for.
"If she's saying, 'I don't even know if I'd like to go back next year,' I'm pretty sure the Valkyries are not going to keep her," Rachel DeMita said on the Courtside Club Podcast in an Instagram clip.
"And with that, a lot of fans are speculating, like, where will she go? And the funny thing is, is, like, I actually think her game offensively could fit into literally any system. She's really tall…She moves so well. She cuts. She has a high IQ…Offensively, I feel like she could fit into any system. And even when you talk about the Fever, like, this is kind of the perfect archetype of the style of player that I've been talking about is kind of what they need," she added.
Jocyte was the No. 5 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. Instead of playing right away, she stayed in Europe that season, then joined the Valkyries in May after finishing her EuroLeague season in Spain. She made her debut on May 25. But the minutes never came.
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – MAY 28: Juste Jocyte 4 of the Golden State Valkyries looks on during a game against the Indiana Fever on May 28, 2026 at Chase Center in San Francisco, CA. Photo by Matthew Huang/Icon Sportswire WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA MAY 28 Indiana Fever at Golden State Valkyries EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260528247
She played in 16 of the team's 44 games, averaging 3.1 points and 1.1 assists in about eight minutes a game, and she played just five minutes in two playoff games.
In an interview with Lithuania's BasketNews, she said, "I didn't really contribute much to that ring in terms of the game."
The bigger issue is her relationship with coach Natalie Nakase. Jocyte said the coaching staff gave her "a lot of excuses" for her role. A month into the season, Nakase reportedly made it clear Jocyte wouldn't play much, and she pointed to the team's wish for Jocyte to become a true point guard, learn the offense, and adjust to the physical game in the WNBA.
Jocyte said she never had a one-on-one talk with Nakase about her playing time. Valkyries beat writer Kenzo Fukuda also reported that Jocyte and her camp were frustrated that the reasons kept changing, which made it hard to know what she had to do to earn minutes.
She has also reportedly asked general manager Ohemaa Nyanin for a trade. She also said she is in no rush to return to the United States.
Valkyries owner Joe Lacob responded on Tim Kawakami's podcast. He said he understands why a competitive player who did not play would be upset. But he also said, "we'd really love to have her back." He said she is only 20 and should earn more playing time in the future.
Teams will see why. Jocyte became the youngest player to debut in the women's EuroLeague at age 14 and has been a two-time Lithuanian player of the year. She is under contract through 2028, with a team option for 2029, and will make less than $400,000 next season.
The Valkyries have a few options. Her contract is unprotected, so they could waive her at no cost, but that seems unlikely. They could trade her, though her comments have cut into their leverage. She could also sit out 2027.
Lithuania is hosting EuroBasket Women 2027 from June 16 to 27, and she was already set to miss part of the WNBA season to play in it. Or the two sides could patch things up, and she could return.
The clock is ticking, because this is the last offseason without an expansion draft until 2030. Cleveland joins in 2028, Detroit in 2029, and Philadelphia in 2030. The Valkyries would have to protect her ahead of better players or risk losing her for nothing.
That brings us back to the Indiana Fever. Indiana is looking for a new general manager after firing Amber Cox, and a hire is expected by December, ahead of January free agency. The next GM will have a tight cap. Aliyah Boston's supermax in 2027 takes up 20% of the cap, Caitlin Clark is eligible for a raise of up to 17%, and Kelsey Mitchell is a free agent.
Cheap, young talent will matter. The Sporting News also floated the Las Vegas Aces as a fit for a player who needs cheap shooting. No report says any team has contacted Jocyte, and the Indiana Fever have not been linked to her beyond DeMita's comments.
So the story of the champions' quietest player is only getting started. If DeMita is right, her next stop could say as much about the Indiana Fever's offseason as about hers.
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