After all the pomp and circumstance leading up to this year’s WNBA Draft, said draft finally took place and several young women with a dream of hearing their names called by professional teams recognized that on Monday April 14.
To no shock, Paige Bueckers was the first overall selection by the Dallas Wings. Then – a number of notable names would then be selected by various teams. This include Dominique Malonga, Kiki Iriafen, Aneesah Morrow, Hailey Van Lith, Saniya Rivers, Georgia Amoore, Te-Hina Paopao and Shyanne Sellers among others.
With the draft behind us, the one-month push to the regular season is about to begin – and this means training camps. Unless one’s name is Bueckers, Malonga, Morrow or one of the three draftees selected by the rebuilding Mystics, it is far from a guarantee that being drafted means one will make the final cut of 12.
Roster cuts during training camp are deep cuts. And even with the arrival of the Valkyries one can expect that this could be the same this go-round. Perhaps, a conversation begins within WNBA circles as to why the WNBPA should push for roster expansion in the collective bargaining agreement talks.
Without further ado, here are our initial musings on another WNBA Draft in the books.
Turning the Paige
The headliner is the obvious one with Bueckers being selected by Dallas.
The real question is if the Wings can keep its veteran guard in Arike Ogunbowale. Remember when ESPN displayed a graphic during the draft night coverage mentioning 105 of 132 players following this season are set to be free agents?
Ogunbowale is one of those. If she decides to take her talents to another team like a Chicago Sky, Dallas would be giving the keys of the franchise to Bueckers.
And it is a franchise set to move from Arlington to downtown Dallas. Either way, north Texas basketball needed this – especially given what another certain Dallas hoops franchise did earlier this season to its superstar.
A Wemby for the W?
When Olivia Miles decided to not only stay in college but enter the transfer portal which took her from Notre Dame to TCU, mock draft connoisseurs had to make last-minute changes.
One of those last minute changes was the elevation of Dominique Malonga to the second overall pick to the Seattle Storm right behind Bueckers to Dallas.
Malonga is 6-foot-6 and the highest a French player has ever been drafted. The 6-foot-6 part of the equation is what really has the W space talking – and drawing comparisons to when Victor Wembanyama – also from France – became an overnight sensation within NBA circles.
Between Malonga, Ezi Magbegor and Nneka Ogwumike, one area where the Storm are more than set is with interior offensive and defensive depth.
‘Stics Picks
When a team has three of the first six selections – two of them being lottery picks – there is plenty of intrigue as to what those selections could resemble.
Since we are talking about the Mystics – who even have a new coach in Sydney Johnson and a new general manager in Jamila Wideman – those drafted by Washington are almost certain to be on the roster.
Washington went with Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Georgia Amoore as their picks. Who steps up and solidifies themselves as part of the Mystics young core with Shakira Austin and Aaliyah Edwards? Only time will tell.
International Love
One can look up and down the roster that coach Natalie Nakase at the Valkyries will have to work with in 2025 and see a laundry list of international players – including Temi Fagbenle, Stephanie Talbot and Cecilia Zandalasini.
So it would only be fitting that the Valks would bring another international talent in Justé Jocyté (Lithuania) to Chase Center.
Golden State is expected to look the way many expansion teams look. Watch this space in a few years.
Other Notables
We remember seeing draft boards that had Hailey Van Lith to the Los Angeles Sparks but the Sky could honestly be the better fit for Van Lith to start her WNBA journey.
Firstly, Tyler Marsh’s Chicago assembling is set in the frontcourt with Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The Sky need guard play that can match what Reese and Cardoso can deliver. Van Lith can fit that need. Not to mention she will have Courtney Vandersloot that can take HVL under her wing.
The Sky if healthy could be in contention for the final playoff berth. We mention if healthy because that was not the case last season.
We mentioned Golden State a bit earlier – the rest of the WNBA really looked at a talent like Shyanne Sellers and let her fall into the second round to the Valkyries. There are plenty of other WNBA front offices that have some explaining to do with that one.
There are also plenty of WNBA general managers that have to explain Paopao falling to No. 18 where they let Dan Padover go full Dan Padover. Atlanta is no longer a team that has to worry about interior depth since the Dream now have Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones.
Guard depth was the question – and Atlanta got one of the game’s premier sharpshooters from right next door in South Carolina.
Sixth Woman – No Deja? Or Diamond?
As much of a story it is to give flowers to those who got drafted, it is also important to shout out notable names who did not.
One that comes to mind is Deja Kelly whose career spanned North Carolina and Oregon. The one that surprised us was Diamond Johnson who had WNBA written all over her even when she was at Rutgers and NC State.
Johnson continued to put up big numbers at Norfolk State – and even got her team a berth in March Madness. She may not have been drafted but neither did Erica Wheeler or Jaylyn Sherrod.
She deserves to be on a WNBA roster – and if she does not get her chance in 2025 one can expect her to display exactly why in early 2026 at either Unrivaled or Athletes Unlimited.
