WNBA draft night uncertainty
The 2026 WNBA Draft takes place today (April 13) with no clear consensus No. 1 pick and several prospects projected to go early, including UCLA center Lauren Betts, Awa Fam, Azzi Fudd and Olivia Miles. Pre‑draft coverage notes split mock drafts, team‑fit chatter (like speculation about Azzi Fudd and the Wings), and parallel roster moves — ESPN reports Kelsey Plum returning to Los Angeles and Kayla McBride returning to Minnesota — all of which shape tonight’s decisions. (nbcdfw.com, bostonglobe.com, espn.com)
The 2026 Women’s National Basketball Association draft starts Monday night with Dallas on the clock and no firm agreement on who should go No. 1. (wnba.com) The draft begins at 7 p.m. Eastern time on April 13 at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City, with three rounds of 15 picks each. Dallas picks first, followed by Minnesota, Seattle, Washington and Chicago. (wnba.com, nbcdfw.com) The group at the top is unusually unsettled for draft day. The Women’s National Basketball Association invited 15 prospects to New York, led by Lauren Betts of the University of California, Los Angeles, Azzi Fudd of the University of Connecticut, Awa Fam Thiam of Spain and Olivia Miles of Texas Christian University. (wnba.com) Mock drafts have split in different directions over the past five days. USA Today’s April 9 projection put Betts first, ESPN’s April 13 mock moved Fudd back to No. 1, and NBC Sports’ April 12 mock sent Awa Fam to Dallas. (usatoday.com, espn.com, nbcsports.com) That uncertainty comes after a compressed offseason. ESPN reported the league and players’ union reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement on March 18, forcing an expansion draft, free agency and the college draft into the same stretch before the 30th season opens May 8. (espn.com) Dallas is picking first for the second straight year after winning the draft lottery on November 23, 2025. The Wings had 420 of 1,000 lottery combinations, and the franchise used the 2025 top pick on Paige Bueckers, who the league said went on to win Rookie of the Year. (wnba.com) Team fit has shifted as free agency moved veterans around the board. ESPN reported Kelsey Plum is returning to Los Angeles, Kayla McBride is returning to Minnesota, and Alanna Smith agreed to a three-year max deal with Dallas. (espn.com) Those moves help explain why some projections now lean toward Fudd in Dallas. ESPN’s final mock said Bueckers is back in the Wings backcourt, Smith and Jessica Shepard were added in free agency, and Fudd’s perimeter shooting fits that roster. (espn.com) Other outlets still see a different answer at No. 1. Sporting News projected Fam to Dallas on April 9, calling her a 19-year-old forward-center with size, passing and two-way upside, while USA Today argued after free agency that Fudd had become the clearer choice for the Wings. (sportingnews.com, usatoday.com) By Monday evening, the only settled fact is the setting: Dallas opens the draft, and the first pick will tell the league whether teams value size, shot creation, shooting or long-term upside most right now. (wnba.com, wnba.com)
