Locked On WBB: WNBA GMs discuss upcoming 2025 WNBA Draft

“Basically every player, other than Paige Bueckers, who has been given the option, ‘do you want to go into the 2025 Draft, or do you want to return to school?’ has chosen to return to school,” Megdal explained. “People are not going into this draft and for very specific reasons, not least of which, there’s a new CBA likely coming. The idea and look, you might see within the confines of a new CBA, a smoothing out of the bump in rookie scale salaries. Certainly, people around the league have suggested that’s a possibility. Nobody knows. So you are signing a contract for what’s effectively $78,000 and change, at the most, here in 2025 that gives teams the ability to hold on to you for four years, if they choose, by exercising an option in year four? By waiting, you gonna face a lot more competition in the [2026] Draft. No question about it. We now know that definitively, but it gives you a chance to make significantly more money if the CBA goes in the direction that most people believe it will. And I say that to say if [Bueckers] does choose to go to Dallas and to go to Dallas this year, there have been a lot of folks on what happens if it doesn’t happen, and that’s obviously significant and has impact throughout the league, but if she does, that’s such a huge win for the Dallas wins, and I don’t want that to get lost in it either.”

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Washington Mystics GM Jamila Wideman spoke about how she and the Mystics are approaching their first-round 2025 Draft picks (the Mystics currently have picks No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6):

“We look at the players who are available and essentially assess their value based on the talent that’s coming in,” Wideman said “I think, you know, we’re all in a position of waiting to see how the CBA will land, and also how any changes may impact contracts that are actually signed this year. So I don’t have a firm sense or answer in terms of what will be true for the rookies who come out this year from a contractual standpoint, but we’re all sort of waiting to see what that will ultimately be. … I think in this year’s draft for us, having that collection of picks has always been about looking at the opportunity to onboard a lot of talent at once, and so right now, that’s really what we see in the value of those picks.”

Then, responding to a question from Front Office Sports’ Annie Costabile, Seattle Storm general manager Talisa Rhea explained how international players are factoring into the 2025 WNBA Draft:

“I think that there are quite a few really talented international players in this draft, [Dominique Malonga] being one of them. And I think the [WNBA] is doing a great job of bringing over talent and making them want to stay here, and making the W a priority. I think we’re also seeing these international players growing up now with the dream to come play in the WNBA. And it’s not just to stay over in Europe and play, but the playing in the WNBA is a priority for them. I think there’s always challenges, and there’s a lot of uncertainty and what’s to come with our league over the next few years and with FIBA competitions. And we know that some things are changing, and our footprint’s changing, we’re expanding. There’s a lot in motion right now. But I think what has been clear with a lot of these international players is they do want to play, and they want to make the W a priority, and so we’re excited for some of those changes. And I think it’s an ongoing conversation with them and their time and availability for the WNBA.”

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Tune in to hear more from Megdal and other WNBA general managers who participated in the recent media availability to talk about the 2025 WNBA Draft. Make sure to subscribe to the Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast to keep learning about the WNBA, women’s college basketball, basketball history and much more!