Michael Voepel
Multiple Authors
The WNBA draft is sort of 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 p.m. ET, ESPN) might be held through the compressed WNBA free company. If the path of assorted franchises appears extra unsure than common, there’s good cause. Team development, 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 extra 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 greatest 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 prime spot: UCLA heart Lauren Betts, heart Awa Fam of Spain, UConn guard Azzi Fudd and, most just lately, TCU guard Olivia Miles.
The Dallas Wings have the highest choice, as they did final yr once they picked UConn guard Paige Bueckers, who gained WNBA Rookie of the Year. Despite her particular person success, the Wings tied for final place with the Chicago Sky at 10-34.
Wings basic supervisor Curt Miller changed coach Chris Koclanes after final season with longtime South Florida coach Jose Fernandez. What path will the Wings go along with No. 1? Here is a case for every of the projected prime 4.
Miles, PG, 5-foot-10, senior: She’s ball-dominant however may work nicely with Bueckers, who might be efficient shifting with out the ball. Both are elite-level offensive stars, and the fitting system may maximize each. If veteran guard Arike Ogunbowale stays in Dallas, maybe the Wings may replicate how Las Vegas used guards Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young from 2021 to 2024, once they gained back-to-back WNBA titles in 2022 and 2023.
Fudd, SG, 5-11, senior: She gained a nationwide championship with Bueckers at UConn in 2025 and is taken into account the most effective pure shooters in ladies’s hoops. Fudd shot 44.7% from behind the arc this season and 42.2% for her faculty profession.
Fam, C, 6-4: She does 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 could be very acquainted for him.
Betts: C, 6-7, senior: There is at all times discuss of “pure” facilities missing versatility, however Betts has a various talent set. She was the Most Outstanding Player on the Final Four for nationwide champion UCLA, averaging 21.0 factors, 9.3 rebounds and a couple of.8 blocks through the NCAA match. A two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Betts — like Fam — might 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 heart Madina Okot of South Carolina, Miles and ahead Marta Suarez of TCU, UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens and Ole Miss ahead Cotie McMahon.
Every participant had particular person circumstances surrounding her choice to switch, however all went to packages they thought would additional develop their video games for the following degree. In the present transfer-heavy faculty panorama, this pattern appears more likely to proceed.
Latson performed three seasons at Florida State earlier than transferring. Okot performed two years collegiately in her native Kenya, then spent one season at Mississippi State earlier than going to South Carolina. The Gamecocks tried to get Okot another season of eligibility as a result of she spent simply two years within the U.S. faculty system, however the NCAA denied the request.
Latson and Okot helped lead the Gamecocks to the SEC regular-season championship and the NCAA closing, the place they misplaced to Kneepkens and the Bruins. Latson, who led Division I in scoring throughout her junior season, mentioned she knew her scoring common would go down at South Carolina. But she thought her total talent degree would enhance, which might profit her long run.
“There were things I was missing, like the defensive presence,” Latson instructed 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 may have 12-player rosters, however some carried 11 if the entrance workplace felt that it higher match the group’s wage cap wants. Now, 12 is necessary. That rule change and the chance to have as much as two developmental gamers may enable extra younger gamers to get a foothold within the league. A longtime concern has been the shortage of WNBA spots for the rising variety of proficient gamers.
Last yr, 15 of the 26 gamers chosen within the second and third rounds performed through the WNBA season, however solely 5 of these competed in not less than 30 video games.
Three first-round picks did not play within the 2025 WNBA season. No. 6 pick Georgia Amoore 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 give attention to enjoying for their nationwide groups in EuroBasket competitors.
We will see how this all performs out in a draft that has grown to 45 picks.
