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A few enormous trades rocked the WNBA landscape this week. Most relevant to this mock draft is a blockbuster trade between the Aces, Sparks and Storm which sent Kelsey Plum to LA and Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas. Seattle acquired the second overall pick in 2025, the Sparks received the ninth pick from Seattle and the Aces received the 13th pick from LA.
The Sun traded franchise Alyssa Thomas to the Phoenix Mercury, but we have yet to receive details on compensation for that deal.
2025 WNBA Mock Draft after series of blockbuster trades
1. Dallas Wings – Paige Bueckers, G, UConn
Los Angeles’ willingness to ship out the second overall pick further reinforces the likelihood of Paige Bueckers landing in Dallas. The Wings would be foolish to let a prospect as touted as her slip out of their hands. She’s coming off of two straight double-digit scoring games, reminding everyone of the dominant offensive engine she can be.
With Satou Sabally all but gone, the Wings will turn to Bueckers as the new face of their franchise. Few prospects in recent history suit that job better. Beyond Bueckers’ elite scoring — she’s averaging a cool 19.6 points on a scorching 66.6% true shooting — her stellar playmaking and off-ball feel make her a seamless fit next to other ball-dominant stars like Arike Ogunbowale.
Bueckers may have minor trouble generating clean looks at the rim by herself, but any nitpicks of her game are just that, nitpicks, at worst. She’s a special prospect with a special two-way resume and the potential to immediately change the trajectory of Dallas’s franchise as Caitlin Clark did for Indiana a year ago.
2. Seattle Storm (via LAL) – Olivia Miles, G, Notre Dame
Moving franchise legend Jewell Loyd will certainly sting, but the second pick in a strong draft won’t be the worst consolation prize. At this point, Olvia Miles looks like the runner-up to Bueckers as one of the best lead guards in all of college basketball.
She’s playing with remarkable consistency this season, tallying above 10 points and five assists in all but two of her games since the beginning of December.
Miles’ 3-point growth this season, upping her percentages from 22.8% in 2023 to 43.6% this season, helps solidify her top prospect status. She’s always been an elite downhill advantage creator, finisher at the rim and creative passer, so adding the off-dribble 3-point threat only makes her more of a nightmare to guard.
The Storm won’t need a full rebuild given their overall roster talent. They cored Gabby Williams and still have Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor and Jordan Horston as valuable pieces.
There’s a chance Miles will be good enough immediately to help the Storm make a playoff push in her first season as a pro, but she’ll help solidify their future regardless of her rookie season success.
3. Chicago Sky – Sonia Citron, G, Notre Dame
The shakeup at two doesn’t help Chicago much, as the Storm are still most likely going to draft Miles over one of the bigs atop the draft. The Sky don’t have room for another non-shooting frontcourt prospect, so Citron is again the selection at three. She might not have the name recognition of a Kiki Iriafen or Dominique Malonga, but Citron projects to slot into an off-ball role immediately.
As the third option on an elite Notre Dame team, Citron’s raw counting stats won’t pop as much as some other prospects. Her experience playing off of Miles and Hannah Hildago will certainly help her translate to the WNBA, where she’ll immediately play next to other high-level talents. Her off-ball shooting, driving and defensive skills make her a seamless fit next to stars who need the ball to thrive and don’t space the floor.
Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso make it all but necessary for Chicago to acquire shooting this offseason and Citron, a 37% 3-point shooter across her college career, fits that description. The Sky didn’t offer a qualifying offer to their lead guard initiator, Chennedy Carter, possibly opening up more on-ball opportunities for Citron to grow as a creator.
4. Washington Mystics – Dominque Malonga, C, ASVEL
Malonga continues to impact winning at a high level against professional players despite her age. The 6-foot-6, 19-year-old big recorded back-to-back 18-point double-doubles in January. She’s currently leading her team in points per game (14.9), rebounds per game (9.1), blocks per game (1.7) and field goal percentage (49.4%).
No prospects in this class can match Malonga’s top-end flashes. Her coordination, speed and skill with the ball for her size all provide her with a potentially special upside. How many teenage 6’6 centers can win off of the dribble to score and make plays for their teammates like Malonga can?
Malonga likely won’t come over to the WNBA for a while, leading some teams to pass on her for other players with an easier path to the league. Malonga’s ceiling, though, is too high on both ends of the floor to let slip out of the lottery and the Mystics should happily swing on a prospect of her upside at this point.
5. Golden State Valkyries – Kiki Iriafen, F, USC
Iriafen’s slip down the board will only benefit the first-year Valkyries, landing a prospect outside of the lottery who many mock drafts projected as a top-two pick before the season. Iriafen hasn’t produced as consistently as she did last season at Stanford, but she’s still averaging 17.8 points per game with back-to-back 20+ point games earlier in January.
Her transfer to Southern California magnified some of Iriafen’s weaknesses, notably her struggles as a decision-maker and outside shooter. However, her upside as an interior scorer and versatile defender makes her an intriguing prospect and a possible value pick for the Valkyries just outside the lottery.
6. Washington Mystics (via ATL) – Georgia Amoore, G, Kentucky
A Washington team that turned the ball over more than any other squad last season (16.1 turnovers per game) could benefit from a high-level floor general like Amoore. She’s currently tied for the NCAA’s lead in assists per game (7.4) with a stellar 2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Her creative pick-and-roll passing and solid decision-making in huge usage situations make her an ideal candidate to stabilize Washington’s offense.
Her defense will always be somewhat of an issue as a 5-foot-6 guard, but Washington drafting Dominique Malonga earlier in the draft helps compensate for this. Amoore’s passing, dynamic off-dribble shooting and potent advantage creation all suggest a high offensive upside at the WNBA level.
7. New York Liberty (via PHX) – Azzi Fudd, G, UConn
Fudd has put together her longest stretch of consecutive games in some time, which could help WNBA teams feel more confident about her long-term health. She’s an undeniably talented basketball player, thriving as an off-ball shotmaker and contributing on the defensive end both on and off of the ball.
Her experience thriving next to other stars in Connecticut should entice a high-level team like the Liberty. The defending champs won’t need Fudd to contribute immediately and can weather any future injury snags she might face. Fudd could develop into an ideal complementary guard next to Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and the rest of New York’s roster.
8. Indiana Fever – Aneesah Morrow, F, LSU
The Fever badly need more size on the wing and Morrow brings that size. She’s not a phenomenal outside shooter or creator on offense, but Caitlin Clark’s presence minimizes the need for others to generate offense by themselves. Morrow is a strong defender and play-finisher who should fit snugly with Clark and Aliyah Boston.
She’s a remarkably consistent player, scoring 19 points or more in five of her last six games. Morrow may face some translation challenges with her scoring at the next level, but she’d have high-level shooters and passers in Indiana to make her life easier. Her work as an on-ball defender would give Indiana a key wing stopper to deploy against bigger teams.
9. Los Angeles Sparks (via SEA) – Shyanne Sellers, F, Maryland
Acquiring Kelsey Plum and shipping out the second overall pick signals LA wants to head in a more immediately competitive direction. A well-rounded, versatile wing like Sellers makes sense for the Sparks given her ability to fit into different roles. Her excellent on-ball defense and passing will help her slot next to Plum, Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink off of the ball.
Sellers still presents quite a bit of upside given her passing feel and intermediate creation. She’s still a low-volume 3-point shooter but she’s made 44.8% (13-29) of her threes this season. Her talent as an on-ball creator, passer and defender all provide her with a reasonable floor and a high ceiling, making her an ideal selection for a new-look Sparks team.
10. Chicago Sky (via CON) – Jordan Hobbs, F, Michigan
Drafting Sonia Citron earlier will help boost Chicago’s shooting, but a team that shot just above 32% from deep last year will take all of the help it can get in that department. Hobbs’ range and shot versatility at 6’3 make her a rare shooting talent. That shooting paired with a high feel for the game could help her become an ideal WNBA role player.
Hobbs’s lack of explosive athleticism might limit her as a slasher and defender, but Reese and Cardoso’s presence should help mitigate those limitations. Drafting Hobbs and Citron will help the Sky transform a major weakness from the 3-point line into a burgeoning strength around their interior core.
11. Minnesota Lynx – Saniya Rivers, G, NC State
Few prospects in this draft boast the physical upside of Saniya Rivers. She weaponizes this most effectively on the defensive end where she hounds opposing players on the ball and generates turnovers constantly (3.0% steal rate, 3.4% block rate). An already elite Minnesota defense wouldn’t mind adding another dynamic defender to that unit.
Rivers will need time to develop on offense, notably as a 3-point shooter and overall efficient scorer. Her dominant athletic tools suggest some possible long-term upside as a driving creator and the Lynx can afford to wait on Rivers’ development given their already excellent roster.
12. Phoenix Mercury (via NYL) – Maddy Westbeld, F, Notre Dame
Phoenix’s roster just underwent a massive shift in trading for Alyssa Thomas and more moves are likely coming. Thomas is one of the WNBA’s best passers and defenders, so adding an excellent floor spacing big in Westbeld makes sense. She’s played just six games this season but has a long track record of elite 3-point and intermediate scoring.
Westbeld won’t provide much value outside of shooting, occasional closeout attacking and sturdy defense, but she won’t be asked for much more at the WNBA level. Adding more shooting depth in the frontcourt won’t ever hurt, especially players as experienced and proven as Westbeld.
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Edited by Arhaan Raje
