For those that know Texas geography, there is a town called Paige in the Austin metropolitan area.
Could another Paige prepare to start her professional career in the Lone Star State? That appears all the more possible following the results of the 2025 WNBA Draft Lottery – one which saw the Dallas Wings claim the No. 1 overall selection.
The last time the Wings had the No. 1 overall pick was in 2021 – a year when the New York Liberty originally had said pick. That year’s draft class was seen as so underwhelming by general managers that the No. 1 overall selection was traded twice – first to the Seattle Storm and then eventually to Dallas.
That time, the Wings stayed in-state for that selection and chose Charli Collier out of Texas.
Rounding out the draft lottery will be the Los Angeles Sparks selecting second, the Chicago Sky picking third and the Washington Mystics at four. Those four lottery picks will be followed by the expansion Golden State Valkyries with the fifth overall pick. The Las Vegas Aces surrendered its first-round pick as a result of the league’s investigation into the Becky Hammon-Dearica Hamby situation.
The results of Sunday’s draft lottery should make it more clear as to which players will be wearing which uniforms – or will it?
Dallas Wings
For the Wings, claiming the first overall selection is a much-needed shot in the arm for the franchise following what was a disappointing 2024.
The goal for the Wings organization was to build on the 2023 that saw Dallas advance to the semifinals against the eventual champion Aces. Injuries derailed the Wings’ 2024 efforts and it resulted in former coach Latricia Trammell being shown her walking papers.
It is believed that Natasha Howard will be with a new team in 2025. Amber Cox has left the front office to head to the Indiana Fever. In addition, the Wings decided to hire former Connecticut Sun and Sparks head coach Curt Miller as its new general manager.
Things could be looking up once again for this franchise. Adding Bueckers to a team that already has Arike Ogunbowale, Satou Sabally and Teaira McCowan will drive up interest in the team even more especially as it prepares for a big move from Arlington to downtown Dallas starting in 2026.
A trade?
Or will the Wings decide to trade the No. 1 overall selection to another team?
This upcoming draft may not be the 2024 class which had multiple transcendent players – or the 2027 draft which will also have multiple transcendent stars. But it is not 2021 either.
One can see why the Wings may decide to trade out of the No. 1 overall selection. One can also see why they may decide to keep the pick. Ogunbowale could take Bueckers under her wing and show her the ropes of the WNBA.
Los Angeles Sparks
Assuming that the Wings do indeed maintain the No. 1 overall selection, the Sparks at No. 2 will likely be where the real intrigue of the draft begins.
Per Matt Cohen’s latest mock draft at Winsidr, he has the Sparks choosing USC’s Kiki Iriafen second overall.
While the addition of Iriafen would certainly give Sparks fans another hometown fan favorite to cheer for on a very young team, one wonders if the long-term goal for the Sparks is to land another notable USC star in 2027 whose name rhymes with “guru” (shout out to Mel Greenberg).
Chicago Sky
Having Angel Reese sit courtside or on the sidelines at sporting events has resulted in plenty of wins for home teams. Unfortunately for the Sky, Reese’s magic did not translate to Sunday’s draft lottery.
Cohen’s Winsidr mock has the Sky adding Olivia Miles to a team that has Reese, Kamilla Cardoso, Chennedy Carter and a new head coach in former Aces assistant Tyler Marsh.
A Sky selection of Miles would be very similar to the Sparks choosing Iriafen. It would be a defacto hometown pick given Notre Dame has a huge fanbase in the Second City.
Notably, Cohen’s latest mock also has the Sky selecting South Carolina’s Te-Hina Paopao 10th. A Gamecocks reunion at Wintrust Arena?
Washington Mystics
If one watched the Mystics earlier in the season, one thought that Bueckers was a shoo-in to take her talents south on I-95 to the DMV.
Then Washington started winning to the point where if the team was tanking the plans were screwed up.
Cohen’s mock on Winsidr has Sonia Citron – another Notre Dame prospect – joining the ‘Stics with the No. 4 overall selection. Washington is in an interesting situation given that the (Mike and Eric) Thibault era has come to a close.
The Mystics also showed themselves to be a team that is actually better than what its 14-26 record displayed. If only the Mystics can maintain a mostly clean bill of health for a full season…
Where Will It Be?
What particularly has us intrigued about the 2025 draft is its location.
Last season, the WNBA staged the draft at the Brooklyn Academy of Music – the first time the league held its draft in front of fans since 2016 when it was held at the Connecticut Sun’s home court of Mohegan Sun Arena. Obviously the 2024 arrangements were organized to take advantage of the fact that a number of Caitlin Clark fans would make the trip to New York City.
Our guess is the 2025 rendition will once again be somewhere in New York. Where? Only time will tell.
