The lottery balls have settled, and for the first time in WNBA history, the lottery order went exactly as it was projected to go based on the odds of the five teams in the lottery.
For the second straight year, the Dallas Wings will be picking No. 1 overall, looking to pair another superstar with 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers.
Winsidr will be doing a series of mock drafts throughout the offseason, leading up to the scheduled WNBA Draft in April (depending on the CBA negotiations, this could change).
As of now, there are only two players not on rookie contracts who aren’t free agents, and with two expansion teams in Toronto and Portland entering the fold, the expectation is that there is going to be a lot of player movement in the coming months.
So does that make it easy to do a mock draft? No, not at all. But was it easy when the Las Vegas Aces were out of the playoff picture and went on a historic run to win the WNBA Title? It wasn’t, and they prevailed.
We will, too.
Our team of mock drafters are Michael Waterloo and Melissa Triebwasser. Throughout the offseason, they’ll be updating their big boards as they evaluate players in college (and beyond) and look at the way that teams are taking shape.
For now, though, enjoy Mock Draft Version 1, fresh off the WNBA Lottery.
Let us know what your big board looks like, too, on social media.
Pick 1:
Michael Waterloo: Awa Fam – Every year, a player rises through the ranks. Last year, it was Dominique Malonga as the draft approached. This year, though, the rise of Awa Fam is happening sooner than most expected. It makes sense, though, as the 19-year-old phenom has everything that WNBA general managers want in today’s game. She’s 6-foot-6 with great lateral quickness, soft hands, ability to pass at a high level as a big, and switch defensively with good instincts. Offensively, Fam would create a nightmare for the opposing defense in the pick-and-roll with Paige Bueckers. Her versatility allows her to not only work the paint as a traditional big but also extend her range and clear up spacing for the Wings’ guards to operate without a clogged paint. She has the highest upside of any player in the draft this year, and that’s saying something.
Melissa Triebwasser: Azzi Fudd – I went back and forth on this pick, as Dallas desperately needs a big to complement the strengths of players like Paige Bueckers and Maddy Siegrist. But, unfortunately, the best available bigs at the top of the draft don’t necessarily fit the timeline or the offense of this Wings rebuild. That leaves addressing another massive need: shooting. And few in college basketball have been as good at that as Azzi Fudd. Fudd is not without risk, as she has a long injury history. But she’s also a plug and play athlete that should continue a long tradition of UCONN players being early contributors in the W. Fudd is an elite scorer and a plus defender that could slide next to Bueckers to form a dynamic one-two punch for years to come. And sure, there are other factors that would make this pick incredibly popular with the fans, but for Curt Miller, it’s about more than just selling tickets and making headlines.
Pick 2:
Melissa: Awa Fam – At some point in the relatively near future, there might be a lot of GMs wishing they had done more to go get Awa Fam. The 6’4” center has a developed offensive game, even at just 19 years old, and is a long and fluid athlete who could develop into an elite big in the league. But there are also no guarantees; while Fam’s representation has made it clear that she intends to come over for the upcoming season, the new CBA and free agency could have a lot to do with whether or not that comes to fruition. That’s why Minnesota makes a ton of sense. Assuming the Lynx are able to re-sign Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith, Fam could slot into a developmental role and learn from some of the very best. Fam will need time to get bigger and stronger and adjust to the speed and physicality of the W, and while the tools are certainly there, a championship contender like the Lynx doesn’t have to rush her along.
Michael: Olivia Miles – I’ve been on the side that Olivia Miles is the clear 1.1 for a while now. I’ve shifted that stance slightly with more film that I watch of Fam. But make no mistake: Miles is the clear No. 2 option in the draft. Pro comparisons are tiring and set an unreasonable level of expectations for draft prospects. But there is a reason everyone throws out Chelsea Gray as the comparison for Miles. She does every single thing that you want a lead guard to do, having the ability to run an offense as a facilitator first, but also get her buckets when she needs to. The game slows down with the ball in her hands. She was set to go No. 2 overall last year before Malonga’s rise and her decision to return to school. Whether the Lynx keep this pick or trade out of the second spot, Miles is the pick here.
Pick 3:
Melissa: Olivia Miles – I agree that Olivia Miles is the best player in the draft today, but fit has her falling to number three in my mock. Miles has slotted in perfectly as the leader of Mark Campbell’s pro-style, pick-and-roll centric offense, averaging career-highs in points (17.6) and assists (7.6). Her efficiency is down a bit as she adjusts to ten new teammates, but nothing about her first few weeks at TCU has done anything to see her fall out of the top three picks. She has uniquely special court vision and a feel for the highlight play, and though Miles turns it over at a higher rate than one would like (3.6 turnovers per game this season and 3.2 for her career), that’s something you live with when you look at the finds she makes both in transition and in the halfcourt. In Seattle, Miles would have a formidable pick-and-roll partner in rising star Dominique Malonga, and depending on what happens in free agency, has a skillset that would work alongside veterans Skylar Diggins and/or Gabby Williams.
Michael: Azzi Fudd – It’s Azzi’s show in UConn during her final season, and any questions that remained about her ACL recovery and on-ball skills have been put to bed so far. Fudd could easily go No. 1 or 2 in this draft—and might!—but if she’s able to fall to third here, the Storm have a fantastic opportunity for Fudd to be an immediate, impactful piece. We still don’t know what their roster will look like, but having Fudd and Malonga as centerpieces for the future gives the Storm the ability to provide a bridge to their future after having a veteran-heavy team last year. Fudd has the ability to step in and be a starter on Day 1.
Pick 4:
Melissa: Lauren Betts – Lauren Betts is the most pro-ready big in the draft, but the question remains how her more standard, back to the basket skillset translates to the modern WNBA. Betts is a plus rebounder and a great interior defender at 6-foot-7, but has had trouble defensively with players who can bring her out of the paint. Her inability to stretch the floor on offense, combined with the rise of the rim-runner center in the league, makes her tough to slot. In the right system, she can have a long and productive career, but she’s not the typical number one pick that can carry a team. That’s why the Mystics make sense for Betts; Washington already has an excellent young playmaking guard in Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen made a case for Rookie of the Year despite being upended by Paige Bueckers. Betts wouldn’t be asked to carry the scoring load and has good defensive players around her, leaving her to rebound and protect the rim while she figures out how best to adapt her game at the next level.
Pick 5:
Michael: Gianna Kneepkens – The Chicago Sky have been below the 50th percentile in three-point shooting in the WNBA in all but one year since 2021. With players like Angel Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Hailey Van Lith, Ajša Sivka, and Maddy Westbeld as the only guaranteed returning players, the Sky are in desperate need of three-point shooting. They could trade up in the top three to get Fudd or Miles, but assuming they stick here and knowing the trouble that Chicago has in attracting free agents, I look for them to go against the grain here by grabbing Gianna Kneepkens out of UCLA. Kneepkens is a fifth-year transfer from Utah, where she shot 47 percent from three-point range in her sophomore, junior, and senior seasons combined. She doesn’t have the star power that a Fla’jae Johnson or a Ta’Niya Latson has, but for a front office that is desperate to win, she provides them with the missing aspect to their offense.
Pick 6:
Melissa: Flau’jae Johnson – Flau’jae would be an excellent piece for either expansion team to build around; not only is she a great player with a wide-ranging skillset, but her ability to market herself off the court would be a boon for either Toronto or Portland. In this scenario, she heads North, where her tenacious defense and all-around offensive game give Sandy Brondello an exciting piece to build around. Johnson has been elite behind the arc in her final season, shooting over 57% and better than 55% from the field. She’s averaging a career-high in assists as well, while turning it over just once per outing. Her ability to not only feed her teammates but create her own shot makes her stand out in a crowded guard class, and she profiles as an exceptional three level scorer in the W. Flau’jae is fun, and for an expansion franchise, a great player to get the fanbase to rally behind on and off the court.
Pick 7:
Michael: Ta’Niya Latson – Let’s assume that Portland has the seventh pick here, since it’s still unclear which order the two expansion teams will pick in. The Fire can go a number of directions (as we saw last year with the Valkyries in their first draft), but the Fire have surpassed 12,500 season ticket deposits already, so giving them a dynamite scorer in Ta’Niya Latson checks all of the boxes. Latson, who led the nation in scoring a season ago, transferred to South Carolina for her final season. And, well, we know how South Carolina fans span the entire country. From an on-court sense and a business sense, Latson would be a perfect pick by the Fire here.
Melissa: Cotie McMahon – In transferring from Ohio State to Ole Miss, Cotie McMahon had something to prove. Through her first handful of games with the Rebels, she’s doing exactly that. McMahon is playing fewer minutes per game than she has at any point in her career but hitting career highs in points per game (17.5), rebounds per game (6.5), and shooting percentage (65.5%). Always a feisty defender, McMahon needs to continue to hone her ball-handling and three-point shots, but under the tutelage of Yolett McPhee-McCuin, she seems to be on the right track. Coach Yo runs a strong program and has put several players in the league over the past several seasons. Her intensity and fire on the court will play well with the Fire, and she will have a chance to shine in Alex Sarama’s system.
Pick 8:
Melissa: Serah Williams – Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but UConn is putting another pro-ready player in the league via first-round draft pick. After transferring from Wisconsin this past off-season, Serah Williams arrived in Storrs and quickly asserted herself as a part of the program. A player Geno Auriemma calls “intense”, Williams has shown her ability as an around the basket finisher and rebounder for the Huskies as they look to repeat. A physical defender that knows how to use her size and strength, Williams might not have too much trouble adjusting to the physicality of the W and will be a great culture fit with the Valkyries and coach Natalie Nakase. Though she’s still rounding into form with her new team, Williams should be a top ten pick by the time the draft rolls around next spring.
Pick 9:
See Also
Michael: Kiki Rice – Could the Bruins really have four first-round picks? If you believe the two of us, they will. And the third on the list is Kiki Rice, who we both have falling to the Mystics here. The Mystics are in a great position where they again have three first-round picks for the second year in a row. If they go with Betts fourth overall, as we both project, the Mystics are able to go with the best player available once again. Rice is one of three Bruins’ players averaging more than 14 points per game, and if she continues to show the ability to limit the turnovers as she has in her senior season, her value will continue climbing. She can be a perfect complementary guard to Georgia Amoore.
Pick 10:
Melissa: Madina Okot – Speaking on elite programs with long histories of putting players in the pros, enter South Carolina center Madina Okot. Okot is a double-double machine for Dawn Staley, averaging 13.3 points and nearly 11 rebounds per game in her first season with the Gamecocks, and has 15 double-doubles in her two-year collegiate career stateside. At 6-foot-6 with a massive wingspan, Okot is a solid rim protector that can run the floor and finish both in transition and in traffic, and she’s just now starting to tap into her enormous potential. Running the floor for Caitlin Clark would be a ton of fun for Fever fans, but Staley has already made it clear they plan to fight for an additional season of eligibility for Okot, who got her start with two seasons at a Kenyan university.
Pick 11:
Michael: Serah Williams – Williams transferred to UConn after three years at Wisconsin. With how deep UConn is, we’re seeing Williams have a lower usage rate and play fewer minutes than she did at Wisconsin. But as the season goes on, those will both tick up once they tighten their rotation up. Williams’ defensive rating is actually higher so far this season than it has been at any other point in her collegiate career. Small sample, and all of that applies. She’s a big that owns the boards and has great vision for a big with the ability to make the right read in the paint.
Pick 12:
Melissa: Gabriela Jaquez – Gabriela Jaquez is just a really good basketball player. She’s not going to wow you with flash, but she will wear you down with substance, and for the franchise in Connecticut, that is as big a need as anything. The 5-foot-11 forward has gotten better every year at UCLA, improving her shooting percentage, three-point percentage, rebounds, and assists each of her four years in Westwood. A high-IQ player that is incredibly versatile around the rim, nothing about Jaquez is going to blow you away, per se. But as she continues to improve her outside jump shot and becomes more of a go-to player for a Bruins squad looking to contend for a championship, she’s going to continue to prove why she’s worthy of a first-round draft pick.
Michael: Yarden Garzon – Connecticut selected Saniya Rivers and Aneesah Morrow last year. Both players played extremely well in their rookie season—Rivers from the jump and Morrow as the season progressed—but neither one of them poses a true threat from the outside. Enter Garzon, an Indiana transfer playing her final year at Maryland. Garzon is a sniper from behind the three-point line, shooting better than 40.7% each of her three years at Indiana on high volume. Spacing is the name of the game in the current iteration of the WNBA. Garzon provides that and more—she’s a standout defender—for the Sun.
Pick 13:
Michael: Ashlon Jackson – OK, quick. If you want to stay on the floor for a Karl Smesko offense, what do you have to do? If you said play hard-nosed defense and be willing to take the open shot, you’d be right. Ashlon Jackson stood out a lot to me last year at Duke, and watching her play during the NCAA Tournament in person, I came to really enjoy her game and her profile. After watching a full season of Smesko’s system in Atlanta, I can’t shake the thought of Jackson being the perfect pick for the Dream. She does a great job defensively along the perimeter and against ball screens. She also has the speed to not only close the gap when a player does get by her, but also to push the ball in transition, which is what Smesko preaches. Jackson is also a high-volume three-point shooter, attempting more than six per game during her junior and senior seasons under Kara Lawson at Duke. The Dream landed the steal of the draft in Te-Hina Paopao last year, and unless a player like Latson or Rice falls here, Atlanta is a perfect landing spot for Jackson, and Jackson is a perfect player for Atlanta. A match made in heaven.
Melissa: Janiah Barker – Another player that entered the portal with something to prove, Janiah Barker is off to the kind of start WNBA GMs were hoping for as she looks to establish some consistency alongside her natural talent. At her best, Barker is a brutal mismatch for opponents; at 6-foot-4, she has the quickness and handles of a smaller player and can defend the paint as well as switch out in the pick and roll. She’s a true stretch forward but has seen her efficiency from three wane in her senior season as her attempts have increased, something teams will want to see improve ahead of the draft. Barker can create her own shot and has exceptional footwork on the pull-up, making her an enticing prospect, even if she does come with a level of risk.
Pick 14:
Melissa: Iyana Martín – Depending on what happens with Free Agency and the first of the Storm’s two first-round picks, Iyana Martín might not be a “need” pick at 14. But this is one of those scenarios where you go with talent over fit, and Martín is too hard to pass up. Though she is still very young, Martín has an ability far beyond her years to control the pace and flow of a game, and her vision is nearly unmatched at any level of basketball. She scores, she sets up her teammates, and at only 5-foot-8, she still rebounds, and it feels like she’s a day one contributor right now despite being just 20 years old when her first WNBA season will begin. Martín is just too exciting to let slide by at this stage in round one. She’s proven herself on the world’s stage; now she gets her chance to prove herself in the W.
Pick 15:
Melissa: Maggie Doogan – Okay, okay, I can hear some of you out there: “who”? But if you don’t know Maggie Doogan, let me introduce you to my surprise first-round pick. Doogan is a superstar for Richmond, a 6’2” forward averaging 24.4 points, 11 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game as a senior. She’s been at her best in the biggest games, including going for 22/7/5 against Texas earlier this season. A 50% shooter for her career – including 37.6% from beyond the arc – Doogan is a proven player that has a little Maddy Siegrist in her game. Fundamentally sound with good footwork and the ability to stretch the floor, Doogan has impressed across her four-year career. Her athleticism and quickness might be what keep her out of the first round, but if she continues to put up eye-popping stats, someone is going to take a chance on her.