Ever since the Las Vegas Aces reclaimed dynasty by sweeping the Phoenix Mercury (which themselves appear on the verge of debuting a new insignia), there has been plenty of activity around the W.
Nneka Ogwumike and Alyssa Thomas are participating with Project B. A’ja Wilson is basking in the glow of her Aces’ third WNBA championship – she deserves to be.
Paige Bueckers appears to be in the midst of another offseason world tour. Former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick bares all for Playboy.
Sandy Brondello is the new coach of the Toronto Tempo. Sonia Raman is the new coach of the Seattle Storm. Jose Fernandez is the new coach of the Dallas Wings. The New York Liberty – the team Brondello previously coached – appears to be on the verge of completing its coaching find.
And Angel Reese’s marketing team appears to be outdoing the WNBA’s. Oh…and then there’s that collective bargaining agreement (CBA) thing.
Then there is the matter of the WNBA Draft Lottery. Even though a CBA has yet to be inked between league and players, the lottery is still slated to take place this Sunday. Five teams are vying for the first overall pick – the Wings, Minnesota Lynx, Chicago Sky, Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics.
Here is a look at the five teams that will take part in Sunday’s lottery.
Dallas Wings
The Wings have the highest odds once again at landing the top overall selection. While many a WNBA fan would love it if Dallas reunited Bueckers with her UConn teammate (and girlfriend) Azzi Fudd, that appears unlikely to happen if the Wings are selecting first once again.
Given Bueckers is a franchise guard, Dallas could decide to thing big with their first pick in this draft. Many a mock has UCLA’s Lauren Betts going first overall.
This particularly makes sense with the Wings building a team around Bueckers since it is likely Arike Ogunbowale will be on a new team whenever we arrive at free agency.
Minnesota Lynx
The second overall selection should have been the Chicago Sky’s – but a prior trade means the Sky’s pick actually belongs to the Lynx.
After Minnesota’s near miss in the 2024 Finals to the Liberty then being ousted in this past year’s semifinals by way of the Mercury, the concept of the rich getting richer certainly applies to Cheryl Reeve’s team – which already has Napheesa Collier and Courtney Williams among its cast of characters.
Rachel Galligan’s mock draft on Bleacher Report has Minnesota selecting Awa Fam from Spain with the second overall pick. But could that pick actually be Olivia Miles of TCU?
Seattle Storm
If Miles is not selected second overall, she could go to Seattle – which is where Galligan has her going in that mock.
Miles wearing Storm green and gold would make sense as several mock drafts had her linked to Seattle when it was speculated she would declare for 2025’s draft. Guard play has been the lifeblood of that franchise since the 2000s.
Look at names like Sue Bird and Jewell Loyd. The Storm need someone that can be that next Bird or Loyd for the upcoming decade and a half. Miles fits that mold.
One interesting wrinkle to this is drafting Miles is a win-win regardless of if Skylar Diggins returns to Seattle or not. Diggins is an unrestricted free agent. If she heads to another team that may give her a better chance of winning that first championship, Raman can hand Miles the keys. If not, Diggins (who knows a bit or two about Notre Dame) can take Miles (who also knows a thing or two about Notre Dame) under her wing.
Washington Mystics
According to Gallgan’s mock on Bleacher Report, this is the team that will select Fudd in the 2026 draft.
It makes sense as the ‘Stics appear to be set in its paint between Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen.
Sonia Citron is also returning for her sophomore season and Washington will also benefit from a healthy Georgia Amoore.
The Mystics actually were competing for a playoff berth prior to the Brittney Sykes trade. That effectively was a punt on the 2025 season for Washington.
Chicago Sky
If Gallagan’s mock comes to fruition, there will officially be a high-profile LSU-to-Chicago pipeline having been established in the WNBA.
In similar fashion as the Mystics, the Chicago Sky – assuming Angel Reese is still on the team in 2026 – do not need to even look in the direction of any forwards or bigs.
Chicago will go with a guard – but which one? According to Gallagan, that guard will be Flau’Jae Johnson. Let us also remember that Hailey Van Lith knows a thing or two about LSU as well.
The Sky’s standing among WNBA players is not exactly good – and Chicago’s franchise needs anything to turn that around. According to Annie Costabile at Front Office Sports, only Chicago bid on 2026’s All-Star festivities. Johnson could help in that turnaround – on and off court – as well.
