We’ve got one final game to close out our WNBA Opening Night on Friday, and it’s chock-full of narratives. The Golden State Valkyries and Seattle Storm will always be linked to one another after this offseason, and appropriately, they’ll face off to start their 2026 seasons. But only one team can come out on top.

Tipoff is set for 10:00 p.m. ET. The Valkyries are -205 moneyline favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, while a Storm upset is priced at +170. The spread in favor of Golden State is -4.5, and the game total is set at O/U 154.5 points.

Let’s get into a pick and prediction for this Valkyries-Storm game.

Valkyries vs. Storm Preview

Golden State is feeling the pressure. Coming off a historic 2025 debut season, where the Valkyries became the first expansion team to make the playoffs, expectations have been raised. Head coach Natalie Nakase has built one heck of a culture, and GM Ohemaa Nyanin has done a great job identifying talent. But it was a testy offseason, to say the least.

The headliner of the offseason was signing Gabby Williams from the Storm, netting an All-Star coming off a first-team All-Defense selection. She perfectly fits their identity as a team that led the W in opponent points per game during 2025, bringing more athleticism and versatility to the roster. But Williams isn’t exactly known for her scoring, also exacerbating one of Golden State’s weaknesses. They desperately needed some shooting and perimeter-scoring talent to address these weaknesses. It seemed as if that problem could have been solved when they drafted Flau’jae Johnson with the eighth overall pick, bringing an accomplished perimeter scorer with a nose for hustle to the team.

Then tragedy struck for Valkyries fans. It was announced that Flau’jae was being traded to the Storm for the 16th pick and a future second-round pick; not exactly what I would call a good value for the pick. They took Marta Suarez with the 16th pick, a good fit in theory, but then waived her during the offseason. Now she’s signed to a developmental spot with the Phoenix Mercury.

Adding fuel to the fire, the GM Nyanin declined to speak on the trade in the immediate aftermath, but many weeks later claimed the trade was about financial flexibility to make further signings. That deal saved them about $300K in cap space, but Golden State was already $500K below the cap, and has not made any significant outside moves other than Williams, who they had more than enough space to sign. Given their need for wing scorers and any sort of bigs, the decision to pass on Flau’jae and subsequently waive the center they drafted at 16 is a head-scratcher, to say the least.

Drama aside, they did get the band back together and make a big splash with Williams. They also have Juste Jocyte coming over from Europe after being drafted last year, who could give them some extra scoring punch. Veronica Burton and Kayla Thornton are All-Star-level talents, and this should be one of the best defenses in the league once again. But significant improvement offensively may be a tall task.

The Seattle Storm sure feel like they were on the beneficial end of this drama, but they won’t be happy about their offseason. Nobody likes having a rebuild forced on them, even if it may have been overdue. In addition to the departure of head coach Noelle Quinn, Seattle lost a quartet of All-Stars this offseason; the aforementioned Gabby Williams left, along with Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, and Brittney Sykes. A tough beat after they were oh-so-close to taking down the Las Vegas Aces in the playoffs. But them’s the breaks.

Still, if you’re going to be suddenly thrust into a rebuild, you couldn’t ask for a better start. They’ve had the second and third overall picks in the last two drafts, respectively, thanks to some shrewd deals with the Los Angeles Sparks. Facilitating the Jewell Loyd-Kelsey Plum sign-and-trade deal netted them the second pick in 2025, which they used to select Dominique Malonga. Kia Nurse and an additional first netted them the third overall pick this year, which became Awa Fam after a small slide; considering that Nurse played only one season for the Sparks, they’re probably kicking themselves over that move.

Malonga is an immense physical talent who can set the tone defensively and put up some points. Fam, who many had as the top talent in this draft, is another imposing athlete with fluid two-way skills. The two are an exceptional fit in the frontcourt, and with Ezi Magbegor back in the fold, they have a three-headed snake of elite frontcourt talents. On top of that, they fleeced Golden State for Flau’jae, who figures to be their top perimeter scoring option for the season.

Seattle also added some tone-setting veterans, Stef Dolson and Natisha Hiedeman, while retaining Katie Lou Samuelson. In what will surely be a rebuild year, those vets can help the youngsters along while also serving as valuable trade bait before the deadline. This team may not win many games in 2026, but they’re going to be fun to watch.

Now we have a good idea what to expect from these teams. Who is going to come out the winner?

Valkyries vs. Storm Pick, Best Bet

This is going to be an interesting style clash. Both teams would seem to lean defense-first, although Seattle’s team identity is a much bigger question mark. Golden State made a mountain out of a molehill with their defense last year considering their limited frontcourt presence, but that only got thinner this offseason with the departure of Temi Fagbenle. That’s going to be a problem for Golden State’s defense.

Ultimately, there isn’t enough of a veteran scoring presence to see Seattle break this talented and disciplined Valkyries D, but I think both teams will bog down offensively, and the Storm will have enough of a chip on their shoulder to keep this one close at home.

Best Bet: Seattle Storm +4.5 and Under 154.5 Total Points SGP (+250)