The Golden State Valkyries waived forward Ashten Prechtel on Wednesday, ending her brief stay with the team before she ever played a game. The move came after the club had signed Prechtel to a hardship contract, and it may point to at least one injured rotation player moving closer to a return.

Prechtel’s exit matters because the Valkyries have been thin in the frontcourt, with Cecilia Zandalasini out because of a concussion and Tiffany Hayes sidelined by a left pinky injury. Her release opens a roster spot at a moment when the team appears to be getting healthier, a shift that could change how the rotation is managed in the days ahead.

For Prechtel, the deal was another stop in a winding professional path. She played her entire collegiate career at Stanford from 2019-2023 and was a key bench contributor during the Cardinal’s 2021 championship run, though her role declined over time and she finished as a senior averaging a career-low 7.6 minutes per game.

The Connecticut Sun selected her in the third round of the 2023 WNBA Draft, but waived her before her rookie campaign began. She later signed training camp contracts with the Washington Mystics in 2025 and the Phoenix Mercury in 2026, yet did not crack either final roster. The hardship deal with Golden State was her first official WNBA service time.

That background gives Wednesday’s move more weight than a standard waiver. Prechtel arrived as a depth answer, not a long-term bet, and the team’s decision to move on without using her in a game suggests the Valkyries believe reinforcements are close enough to make the slot available.

What happens next will be determined by who gets healthy first and how quickly Golden State needs that roster spot to be filled again. For Prechtel, the waivers leave her once more looking for the next opening in a league where chances can vanish before they start.