WNBA draft preview: The case for every potential No. 1 pick
The WNBA draft is nearly right here. But due to the league’s settlement on a brand new collective bargaining settlement occurring late within the offseason, Monday’s annual draft (7 pm ET, ESPN) shall be held throughout the compressed WNBA free company. If the route of varied franchises appears extra unsure than typical, there may be good cause. Team building, which additionally included the April 3 enlargement draft, has by no means been like this, and everyone seems to be figuring it out as they go.
The draft is at all times an thrilling evening for the gamers who’re chosen. Then comes the fact of making an attempt to make a WNBA roster. With two further franchises and new CBA stipulations that groups will need to have 12 gamers and are allowed two developmental spots, there are extra jobs and pathways to the league. But the competitors will nonetheless be intense.
Here are a few of the largest questions heading into Monday’s draft.
Who has the perfect case because the No. 1 pick?
In ESPN’s mock drafts this offseason, 4 gamers have been within the high spot: UCLA middle Lauren Bettsmiddle Awa Fam of Spain, UConn guard Azzi Fudd and, most lately, TCU guard Olivia Miles.
The Dallas Wings have the highest choice, as they did final yr once they picked UConn guard Paige Bueckerswho received WNBA Rookie of the Year. Despite his particular person success, the Wings tied for final place with the Chicago Sky at 10-34.
Wings common supervisor Curt Miller changed coach Chris Koclanes after final season with longtime South Florida coach Jose Fernandez. What route will the Wings go along with No. 1? Here is a case for every of the projected high 4.
Miles, PG, 5-foot-10, senior: She’s ball-dominant however might work effectively with Bueckers, who could be efficient shifting with out the ball. Both are elite-level offensive stars, and the precise system might maximize each. If veteran guard Arike Ogunbowale stays in Dallas, maybe the Wings might replicate how Las Vegas used guards Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young from 2021 to 2024, once they received back-to-back WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023.
Fudd, SG, 5-11, senior: She received a nationwide championship with Bueckers at UConn in 2025 and is taken into account top-of-the-line pure shooters in girls’s hoops. Fudd shot 44.7% from behind the arc this season and 42.2% for his faculty profession.
Fam, C, 6-4: She would not flip 20 till June, and her expertise makes her an intriguing prospect. Overseas recruiting was a staple for Fernandez at USF, so working with Fam can be very acquainted to him.
Betts: C, 6-7, senior: There is at all times discuss of “pure” facilities missing versatility, however Betts has a various ability set. She was the Most Outstanding Player on the Final Four for nationwide champion UCLA, averaging 21.0 factors, 9.3 rebounds and a pair of.8 blocks throughout the NCAA event. A two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Betts — like Fam — may very well be the younger centerpiece inside for the Wings.
Is transferring for the draft a pattern?
Six of the 15 gamers projected as first-round picks in ESPN’s most up-to-date mock draft performed for their present colleges solely throughout their senior seasons: Guard Ta’Niya Latson and middle Madina Okot of South CarolinaMiles and ahead Martha Suarez of TCU, UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens and Ole Miss ahead Cotie McMahon.
Every participant had particular person circumstances surrounding their choice to switch, however all went to packages they thought would additional develop their video games for the following stage. In the present transfer-heavy faculty panorama, this pattern appears prone to proceed.
Latson performed three seasons at Florida State earlier than transferring. Okot performed two years collegiately in his native Kenya, then spent one season at Mississippi State earlier than going to South Carolina. The Gamecocks tried to get Okot yet another season of eligibility as a result of she spent simply two years within the US faculty system, however the NCAA denied the request.
Latson and Okot helped lead the Gamecocks to the SEC regular-season championship and the NCAA last, the place they misplaced to Kneepkens and the Bruins. Latson, who led Division I in scoring throughout her junior season, stated she knew her scoring common would go down at South Carolina. But she thought her total ability stage would enhance, which might profit her long run.
“There were things I was missing, like the defensive presence,” Latson advised ESPN. “I knew coming to South Carolina, I had to get better at defense. And also finding my spots offensively while playing with other great players. It hasn’t always been easy, but I feel like it will pay off going to the next level and make things easier in training camp.”
Will extra second- and third-round picks make groups?
Under the earlier CBA, groups might have 12-player rosters, however some carried 11 if the entrance workplace felt that it higher match the workforce’s wage cap wants. Now, 12 is obligatory. That rule change and the chance to have as much as two developmental gamers might enable extra younger gamers to get a foothold within the league. A longtime concern has been the dearth of WNBA spots for the rising variety of gifted gamers.
Last yr, 15 of the 26 gamers chosen within the second and third rounds performed throughout the WNBA season, however solely 5 of these competed in not less than 30 video games.
Three first-round choices did not play within the 2025 WNBA season. No. 6 pick Georgia Amoore He suffered a knee harm in April 2025 and missed the season. No. 5 Juste Jocyte (Lithuania) and No. 10 Ajsa Sivka (Slovenia) skipped the WNBA season to concentrate on taking part in for their nationwide groups in EuroBasket competitors.
We will see how this all performs out in a draft that has grown to 45 picks.
