As the buses went by the Embarcadero on Wednesday, the biggest smile might have been on the face of Juste Jocyte. The 20-year-old jumped off her float and signed autographs for fans, took selfies and sprayed champagne.

On the ferry boat from Oakland to San Francisco, she sat and grinned out to the water. She was a WNBA champion, despite frustrations that had come in her rookie season.

Jocyte told Valkyries Beat that she has had to learn a lot this season during WNBA Finals media day.

“I grew up a lot in my patience,” she said. “It's been really hard. I'm not gonna deny that. It's been hard, and (I’ve) had better days, worse days. But at the end of it, you're just trying to grow. You're trying to do whatever they give you and work with that. And you know, that's that's what I've been trying to do. Whenever I got a chance, I try to just be myself, not trying to be the hero and show off.”

But this week, Jocyte sounded less certain about coming back to the Valkyries at all, and it sounds like she perhaps even requested a trade.

A translation of an interview given to an outlet in Lithuania on Monday made it sound like she might not even be considering returning to Golden State at all.

"I wanted time and a role to feel like part of the team,” she said in that interview. “Now that summer turned out to be very interesting and only in the playoffs did I come to terms with it, although I still have a lot of anger, but I came to terms with it and somehow it was easier to accept the situation."

Jocyte noted that head coach Natalie Nakase had “a lot of excuses” for why she wasn’t playing and that assistant coaches had told her they would try to get her into the lineup.

"I don't know anyone who would want to come back with a smile after a season like this,” she said.

She expressed frustration that Golden State wanted her to become a more physical player so quickly. She also said that she told general manager Ohemaa Nyanin that she would like to be traded.

“It seems like they do not really care,” she said. “The talks about the trade are still early, but when it comes to talking specifically with the agent, maybe they will have a different opinion and say that they will not let me go anywhere because they have the right to keep the rights to me. But there will definitely be talks.”

"I am young and I am not in a hurry to return to America, because my dream country is not there."

Jocyte only played two games in the postseason after 16 in the regular season, and showing some flashes. When she had the chance to play, she showed some shooting prowess and offensive playmaking instincts.

“I’ve understand it (for a long time),” Jocyte said on media day. “You get it. I’m here for the team, as a competitor, so it always hurts inside. It's been, to this day, still hard to have days where I come back home and I'm like, you know, well s—. Sometimes it hurts. Yeah. But you know when when I'm on this court when I'm with them, just trying to show my support, give whatever I can.”

The reasoning behind Jocyte’s diminished role was changing constantly all season. First it was about rest when she came back from her European season in May, after the Valkyries season had begun. Then, Nakase said she wanted Jocyte to become a point guard.

Later on, she expressed needing to see Jocyte develop communication, and later defensively and as a rebounder, which is probably what the real answer was.

“I think she's taking a level with her defense,” Nakase said in August. “Like she is doing a better job keeping the ball in front of her, being physical. I think she's taking a big step that way.”

Just 20 years old, Jocyte has already made a name for herself in pro basketball, having played against professional players in Europe since she was 13 years old.

She was open from her arrival that the lack of playing time was difficult for her.

“You have to put your ego down,” she told Valkyries Beat. “If you get a chance, you get a chance. If you don’t, you have to be a good teammate and support them and give good energy.”

Jocyte was Golden State’s first draft pick when she went No. 5 overall in 2025, and Golden State told her to spend the year in Europe, where she was preparing to represent Lithuania in the EuroBasket tournament.

The plan was always for her to join the team this year, but part of the reason her role never grew was that the Valkyries were remarkably healthy all season. After Jocyte joined the team, they missed just a handful of games due to injury, and played just three games without Gabby Williams, Janelle Salaun and Cecilia Zandalasini when they were at the World Cup in August and September.

In those three games, Jocyte played more than 13 minutes each team and averaged 7.3 points per game. So they were willing to have her on the court when needed, but there was just a ton of depth in front of her.

“They’ve supported me,” Jocyte said of her teammates. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had teammates like (this). Everybody is so supportive, there is no ego, no jealousy, we all get along. It’s been nice to have a group of people like that.”

Despite that, there were a ton of trade rumors during the regular season. The Valkyries never truly fielded serious calls about trading Jocyte, a league source told Valkyries Beat, and they do see her as a part of their future.

“I know what she’s capable of,” Laeticia Amihere told Valkyries Beat in September. “When she gets her opportunity, she does exactly what she needs to do, and (we’re) just trying to keep giving her confidence to be herself.”

The Valkyries didn’t have much roster turnover from 2025 to 2026, bringing in Williams and Kiah Stokes as free agents and Jocyte joining the team as their true major additions. They have just two unrestricted free agents — Kayla Thornton and Tiffany Hayes — this offseason and question marks about if and when Iliana Rupert will return after missing the season due to pregnancy.

It doesn’t seem likely that Jocyte would be blocked as much next season. With a year under her belt and presumably starting with the team in the first week of training camp, the continuity does seem to matter to Golden State. Even if they bring back everyone, the Valkyries prefer a deeper bench, at least in the regular season.

But if she requested a trade, how much value could Golden State get for her?

If they signed a Napheesa Collier or Kelsey Mitchell? Maybe it’s different. Jocyte is the most valuable roster asset, but since the Valkyries seem willing to flip their draft picks, they might not need to part with her for a major deal, unless it’s a sign-and-trade for Collier or something similar.

“When the playoffs started, it kind of just clicked,” she said. “It just made sense suddenly. I feel like putting everything aside and wanting the best for your team. You want to fight for yourself and get playing time, but especially with Finals, I don’t think the team can have that kind of attitude of being sad or mad or whatever.”

So what’s next for Jocyte? She will play in Project B, where there is still quite a bit unknown. The mysterious startup league will begin play on January 17 in China and there aren’t a ton of details about the rest of the schedule or rosters or teams.

Other WNBA players in the league include Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones, Nneka Ogwumike, Jewell Loyd and Azzi Fudd. Jocyte said she wants to improve her physicality in the offseason ahead of camp, and playing with that competition should help with that.

If she comes back to the Valkyries at all.

“I’ve been in the weight room a lot this season,” Jocyte said. “That’s something that hopefully translates to my game overall.”