WNBA Draft swirl: Azzi favored
The WNBA Draft is tonight and betting markets and mocks have pushed Azzi Fudd to the front as the heavy favorite for No. 1, with discussion centered on a possible Dallas reunion with Paige Bueckers if the Wings keep the top pick. (Coverage notes Fudd’s high spot‑up efficiency as a fit beside Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale, and Dallas recently signed Alanna Smith to a three‑year, max deal.) (sports.yahoo.com) (dallashoopsjournal.com) (covers.com) (espn.com)
Azzi Fudd enters the 2026 Women’s National Basketball Association draft as the betting favorite for the No. 1 pick Dallas controls Monday night. (wnba.com) (covers.com) The draft starts at 7 p.m. Eastern on Monday, April 13, at The Shed in Manhattan, with ESPN coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. Dallas owns the first pick and No. 25 overall after winning the 2026 draft lottery in November. (wnba.com 1) (wnba.com 2) (wnba.com 3) Multiple late mock drafts moved Fudd to the top spot on Monday, including ESPN, CBS Sports and USA Today, after a week in which Dallas reshaped its roster in free agency. Covers wrote on April 11 that the market at No. 1 was still unsettled, but by draft day Fudd had become the clear favorite in several projections. (espn.com) (cbssports.com) (usatoday.com) (covers.com) The Dallas case for Fudd starts with the backcourt already in place. Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick in 2025, won the 2025 Women’s National Basketball Association Rookie of the Year award, and Arike Ogunbowale agreed to a new multiyear deal with the Wings on April 10. (wnba.com) (espn.com) That setup has fueled talk of a Bueckers-Fudd reunion after their Connecticut title run in 2025. Yahoo’s mock draft and Dallas Hoops Journal both framed Fudd as a fit next to Bueckers and Ogunbowale rather than a player Dallas would need to build around alone. (sports.yahoo.com) (dallashoopsjournal.com) Dallas also spent the weekend adding frontcourt defense. ESPN reported on April 11 that Alanna Smith agreed to a three-year max contract with the Wings, giving Curt Miller a veteran starter to pair with a rookie guard instead of asking the draft to solve every roster need. (espn.com) Other names have stayed in the No. 1 conversation, especially Lauren Betts, Olivia Miles and Awa Fam Thiam. The league invited all four prospects to attend the draft in New York, a sign they are expected to come off the board early even as the top slot appears to have tilted toward Fudd. (wnba.com) (covers.com) Nothing becomes official until commissioner Cathy Engelbert walks to the podium Monday night. But the final-day picture is narrower than it was a week ago: Dallas is on the clock, and Fudd is the name most often attached to the pick. (wnba.com) (espn.com)
