{"id":438690,"date":"2026-01-30T10:35:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T10:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/438690\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T10:35:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T10:35:28","slug":"2026-wnba-mock-draft-ucla-supremacy-and-a-new-no-2-pick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/438690\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 WNBA Mock Draft: UCLA Supremacy and a New No. 2 Pick"},"content":{"rendered":"

2. Minnesota Lynx<\/p>\n

Azzi Fudd, Guard, 5-foot-11, UConn<\/p>\n

The Lynx could use a shooter like Fudd, who is making 44.5 percent of her attempts from long range. But she also brings defense, shot-creation and a high basketball IQ to the table, all skills that make her an attractive prospect. The best guard in the draft by far, Fudd will make an instant impact in the WNBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

3. Seattle Storm<\/p>\n

Awa Fam, Center, 6-foot-6, Spain<\/p>\n

Seattle has plenty of bigs, with Nneka Ogumike, Ezi Magbegor and Dom Malonga all on the roster. But despite her height, Fam isn\u2019t a typical big \u2014\u00a0she\u2019s a versatile forward who is oozing with potential. Because of Seattle\u2019s big-heavy roster, the Storm can afford to take time developing Fam.<\/p>\n

\"Awa<\/p>\n

Awa Fam needs developing, but she may have the highest ceiling in this draft<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

4. Washington Mystics<\/p>\n

Olivia Miles, Guard, 5-foot-10, TCU<\/p>\n

The Mystics are looking to build through the draft. After successfully picking Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen last season, a playmaking point guard like Miles would be the perfect addition. Plus, she\u2019s played \u2013 and had success \u2013\u00a0 alongside Citron when they were at Notre Dame.\u00a0<\/p>\n

5. Chicago Sky<\/p>\n

Kiki Rice, Guard, 5-foot-11, UCLA<\/p>\n

Another team that needs a point guard, Chicago would be wise to select a player like Rice. The UCLA product keeps getting better, and this season she is finally reaching the potential she\u2019s had all along. Rice is an athletic driver who can get to the rim and create offense. She and Angel Reese would be a duo the Sky can build around going forward.<\/p>\n

6. Toronto Tempo<\/p>\n

Gianna Kneepkens, Guard, 6-foot, UCLA<\/p>\n

One of this season\u2019s expansion franchises, Toronto needs versatility and consistency. Kneepkens provides both. She\u2019s one of the country\u2019s few 50\/40\/90 players, shooting 52.6 percent from the field, 47.3 percent from beyond the arc and 95.7 percent from the free throw line.<\/p>\n

7. Portland Fire<\/p>\n

Flau\u2019jae Johnson, Guard, 5-foot-11, LSU<\/p>\n

Another expansion squad, Portland would get off to a great start by bringing in Johnson, a star on and off the court. She\u2019s a proven winner with a built-in following and the skills to match. Few players can get to the rim or score on the pull-up with the athleticism and precision that Johnson brings.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Flau\u2019jae Johnson has the toolkit and mindset to be a franchise player for the WNBA\u2019s newest expansion team<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

8. Golden State Valkyries<\/p>\n

Nell Angloma, Guard, 6-foot-1, France<\/p>\n

Coach Natalie Nakase has already had success with two young French players in Carla Leithe and Janelle Salaun, so adding the 19-year-old Angloma makes sense. She\u2019s a slasher who can finish in a variety of ways, both at the rim and in the midrange. Angloma has a high ceiling, and Nakase will be able to get the most out of her potential.<\/p>\n

9. Washington<\/p>\n

Ta\u2019Niya Latson, Guard, 5-foot-8, South Carolina\u00a0<\/p>\n

A proven scoring guard, Latson has increased her efficiency at South Carolina while also shooting a career-best 38.8 percent from the three-point line. Defense was a question mark during her time at Florida State, but Latson has also shown her proficiency in that regard, making her an attractive, well-rounded prospect.<\/p>\n

10. Indiana\u00a0Fever<\/p>\n

Gabriella Jaquez, Guard, 6-foot, UCLA<\/p>\n

UCLA\u2019s do-it-all player has improved season by season, taking her biggest jump this year. Jaquez has gone from a 34.8-percent three-point shooter to 47.1 percent. Her overall points, rebounds and steals are also up this season, quite the feat for someone playing on UCLA\u2019s deep roster.\u00a0<\/p>\n

11. Washington\u00a0Mystics<\/p>\n

Cotie McMahon, Guard\/Forward, 6-foot, Ole Miss<\/p>\n

McMahon\u2019s strength and ability to get to the rim will translate well to the WNBA. Washington needs players who can contribute right away, and McMahon fits the bill. She\u2019s a relentless attacker who is averaging a career-high 19.4 points per game for the Rebels.<\/p>\n

\"Cotie<\/p>\n

Cotie McMahon is a WNBA-ready prospect with elite playmaking ability<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

12. Connecticut Sun<\/p>\n

Angela Dugalic, Guard\/Forward, 6-foot-4, UCLA<\/p>\n

Dugalic\u2019s draft stock has risen dramatically in the last few months because of her versatility. She\u2019s a big guard who can shoot and drive, but this season Dugalic has started to play more in the post \u2013 something that was lacking from her game. The more you can do, the better in the WNBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

13. Atlanta Dream<\/p>\n

Marta Suarez, Forward, 6-foot-3, TCU<\/p>\n

Another player with versatility, Suarez can score from anywhere on the court. Her stock has fallen slightly over the past few weeks after a few mediocre performances, but Suarez still has plenty of skills and potential to have success in the WNBA.<\/p>\n

14. Seattle Storm<\/p>\n

Tonie Morgan, Guard, 5-foot-9, Kentucky<\/p>\n

Morgan is an undersized guard, but it hasn\u2019t been an issue in the SEC, the conference which is known for preparing players for the WNBA. She\u2019s a skilled floor general who is averaging a career-high 8.6 assists per game, while also possessing the ability to create her own shot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tonie Morgan brings playmaking, court vision and IQ to compensate for her stature<\/p>\n

Icon Sportswire via Getty Images<\/p>\n

15. Connecticut Sun<\/p>\n

Lani White, Guard, 6-foot, Utah<\/p>\n

White\u2019s stock rose after a massive performance against TCU, where she scored 25 points, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc. White can score at multiple levels while bringing a high motor to the court.<\/p>\n

Second Round<\/p>\n

16. Seattle Storm<\/p>\n

Yarden Garzon, Guard, 6-foot-3, Maryland\u00a0<\/p>\n

Garzon has the potential to be a lottery pick, but her play so far this season hasn\u2019t been as solid as it was during her first three years at Indiana. She\u2019s a big guard who can shoot and pass, so Garzon will certainly still get drafted. It\u2019s just a matter of when.<\/p>\n

17. Chicago Sky<\/p>\n

Madina Okot, Center, 6-foot-6, South Carolina<\/p>\n

Okot can also work her way back into the first round, but she\u2019s in a bit of a slump. Her last game, a 17-point, 7-rebound, 5-steal effort against Vanderbilt is more what scouts got accustomed to seeing early in the season. Plus, she\u2019s only been playing basketball for five years, so she can be drafted on potential.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Madina Okot has stumbled through her past few games, but her ceiling remains sky-high<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

18. Connecticut Sun<\/p>\n

Serah Williams, Center, 6-foot-4, UConn<\/p>\n

Williams is still struggling to find her place at UConn, but there are flashes, and after three successful seasons as a scorer, rebounder and defender at Wisconsin, she will likely still find a home in the draft.<\/p>\n

19. Washington Mystics<\/p>\n

Saffron Shiels, Guard, 6-foot-2, Australia\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shiels is a young Australian product who may be one of the best guards in this draft. She\u2019s 6-foot-2, with the ability to finish at the rim through contact, while also knocking down long-range shots with a quick release.\u00a0<\/p>\n

20. Los Angeles Sparks<\/p>\n

Raven Johnson, Guard, 5-foot-9, South Carolina\u00a0<\/p>\n

Johnson is a proven winner who guided South Carolina to a title in 2024. She is a true floor general who makes everyone around her better. Plus, Johnson is one of the country\u2019s best on-ball defenders, something that will translate well to the WNBA.<\/p>\n

\"Raven<\/p>\n

Raven Johnson ranks among the best on-ball defenders in the NCAA<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

21. Toronto Tempo<\/p>\n

Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Forward 6-foot-1, Baylor<\/p>\n

A walking double-double, Littlepage-Buggs boasts a high motor, athleticism and strength that could all be assets in the WNBA. She has a nose for the ball and has found ways to be successful every season at Baylor.<\/p>\n

22. Portland Fire<\/p>\n

Janiah Barker, Forward, 6-foot-4, Tennessee<\/p>\n

Barker, a former top-5 recruit, has never really reached her potential as a college basketball player. But she\u2019s strong and versatile so plenty of WNBA teams will be willing to use a pick on her as a developmental project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

23. Golden State Valkyries<\/p>\n

Charlisse Leger-Walker, Guard, 5-foot-10, UCLA<\/p>\n

Leger-Walker already has high-level experience after playing for the New Zealand national team. She\u2019s a strong scorer and excellent passer with a high basketball IQ. Leger-Walker is also having one of her best seasons as a shooter, knocking down 38.3 percent of her three-point attempts.<\/p>\n

\"Charlisse<\/p>\n

Charlisse Leger-Walker is an elite facilitator on an already-deep UCLA roster<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

24. Los Angeles Sparks<\/p>\n

Rori Harmon, Guard, 5-foot-6, Texas<\/p>\n

Harmon is undersized, so a lot of teams will be worried about selecting her with an early draft pick. But, she is an excellent on-ball defender and someone who has shown her ability to score and pass against bigger defenders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

25. Indiana\u00a0Fever<\/p>\n

Justine Pissot, Guard 6-foot-4, Vanderbilt<\/p>\n

Pissot is really finding her groove at Vanderbilt this season. She\u2019s one of the country\u2019s best shooters, making 43.4 percent of her three-point attempts. WNBA teams will also like her size. At 6-foot-4, Pissot can play multiple positions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

26. Chicago Sky<\/p>\n

Raegan Beers, Center, 6-foot-4, Oklahoma\u00a0<\/p>\n

The WNBA is moving away from back-to-the-basket posts, but there are still roster spots for true bigs. Especially if they are as skilled as Beers. She boasts above average strength, stellar footwork and has also shown glimmers of being able to extend her range.<\/p>\n

27. Phoenix Mercury<\/p>\n

Payton Verhulst, Guard, 6-foot-1, Oklahoma<\/p>\n

Another Oklahoma product, Verhulst is someone who can score anywhere on the court. She\u2019s a career 33.7-percent three-point shooter with a quick release and a great rebounder (5.9 per game) for her size.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Payton<\/p>\n

Payton Verhulst has a versatile package and would be a great add for any franchise<\/p>\n

Getty Images<\/p>\n

28. Atlanta Dream<\/p>\n

Saylor Poffenbarger, Guard, 6-foot-2, Maryland\u00a0<\/p>\n

Poffenbarger has a great WNBA build. She\u2019s a 6-foot-2 guard with long arms and the ability to play multiple positions. This season she has developed into a three-level scorer who is also great on the glass.<\/p>\n

29. Las Vegas Aces<\/p>\n

Maggie Doogan, Forward, 6-foot-2, Richmond<\/p>\n

Doogan is perhaps the country\u2019s most underrated star. She\u2019s a mid-major product who is averaging 23.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game. Doogan may be knocked for playing in a weaker conference, but she excels against all competition. In last year\u2019s NCAA Tournament, she had 27 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks against UCLA.<\/p>\n

30. Washington Mystics<\/p>\n

Teonni Key, Forward, 6-foot-5, Kentucky\u00a0<\/p>\n

Key is currently out with an injury, which makes any movement on her draft stock impossible. But, she has blossomed during her time at Kentucky, more than doubling both her scoring and rebounding averages since leaving North Carolina.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Third Round<\/p>\n

Dallas: Ashlon Jackson, Guard, 6-foot, Duke<\/p>\n

Chicago: Madison St. Rose, Guard 5-foot-10, Princeton\u00a0<\/p>\n

Connecticut: Brooklyn Meyer, Forward, 6-foot-2, South Dakota State<\/p>\n

Washington: Grace Vanslooten, Forward, 6-foot-3, Michigan State\u00a0<\/p>\n

Los Angeles: Hannah Stuelke, Forward, 6-foot-2, Iowa\u00a0<\/p>\n

Toronto: Laila Phelia, Guard, 6-foot, Syracuse<\/p>\n

Portland: Shay Ciezki, Guard, 5-foot-7, Indiana\u00a0<\/p>\n

Golden State: Jordan Harrison, Guard, 5-foot-6, West Virginia\u00a0<\/p>\n

Seattle: Snuda Collins, Guard, 6-foot-1, Texas Tech<\/p>\n

Indiana: Elle Ladine: Guard, 5-foot-11, Washington\u00a0<\/p>\n

New York: Haleigh Timmer, Guard, 5-foot-11, Oklahoma State<\/p>\n

Phoenix: Susie Rafiu, Forward, 6-foot-1, Columbia\u00a0<\/p>\n

Atlanta: Micah Gray, Guard, 5-foot-8, Oklahoma State<\/p>\n

Las Vegas: Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda, Guard\/Forward, 6-foot-2, Vanderbilt\u00a0<\/p>\n

Minnesota: Indya Nivar, Guard, 5-foot-10, North Carolina<\/p>\n

\t\t\tMeet your guide<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Eden<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tEden Laase<\/p>\n

Eden Laase has been covering women\u2019s basketball exclusively for the last four years. Before that she spent time as a beat writer covering Gonzaga men\u2019s basketball, college hockey in Colorado, and high school sports in Michigan. Eden\u2019s work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Just Women\u2019s Sports, Yahoo, the Boston Globe and more.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tMore from Eden Laase \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore Like This<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2. Minnesota Lynx Azzi Fudd, Guard, 5-foot-11, UConn The Lynx could use a shooter like Fudd, who is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438691,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[99,434],"class_list":["post-438690","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438690","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438690"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438690\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438691"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438690"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438690"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438690"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}