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Which team will pick first in the 2026 WNBA Draft?
The women’s basketball world will find out on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 6:30 p.m. ET during WNBA Draft Lottery 2026. Head of league operations Bethany Donaphin will reveal whether the top pick will go to the Dallas Wings, Minnesota Lynx, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics or Chicago Sky during the 30-minute WNBA Draft Lottery Special on ESPN.
Here’s more on the odds and representatives for all five lottery teams, in addition to a look at the prospects the teams should consider if they win the No. 1 pick:
The Wings have a chance of winning back-to-back No. 1 picks, with Maddy Siegrist, last year’s winning representative, returning to the dais in hopes of bringing more good luck—and much needed talent—to Dallas.
In analyzing what the Wings should do if they are again blessed by the basketball gods, Edwin Garcia argues that the priority is clear: pick the prospect who pairs best with Paige Bueckers. Edwin also makes an encouraging analogy for Wings fans, suggesting:
If they secure the top pick and make the right call, they can expedite this process, similar to what the Indiana Fever did after selecting Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark with back-to-back No. 1 picks in 2023 and 2024.
Is the WNBA allowing a livestream of lottery? If so, everyone has to be rooting for a Minnesota win. Everyone, that is, except Sky partisans, who would distressingly see their season of struggle benefit another team due trades Chicago made before the 2024 and 2025 drafts.
If Minnesota does get lucky, they’ll have a great opportunity to extend their championship window. However, there’s one player I don’t think the Lynx should consider. Despite her prolific college production, UCLA center Lauren Betts doesn’t make sense with Lynx. As I previously wrote:
Minnesota has been at the forefront of the WNBA’s move away from traditional bigs. The Lynx’s schemes prioritize switchability, versatility and speed. During their run of recent success, they have willingly sacrificed size in favor of the advantages accrued by deploying smaller-yet-more-skilled players across all five positions.
Luckily for Minnesota, there are plenty of other prospects who would be a fit.
Like the Lynx, a trade allowed the Storm to claim a spot in the lottery, owning the odds that otherwise would have belonged to the Los Angeles Sparks.
If they win the No. 1 pick, there’s a prospect that can complement any of the team-building directions the organization chooses to pursue under new head coach Sonia Raman.
Of all the paths that Seattle could take, it would be smartest to choose the one that most looks to maximize Dominique Malonga, the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft. My favorite potential option involves building an uber-athletic team, which could make LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson the most appealing selection.
After a grand slam of a 2025 draft, the Mystics might be able to top in 2026 if they win the No. 1 pick.
Were that to happen, Beckett Harrison believes the organization might have eyes for only one prospect: UConn super senior guard Azzi Fudd. Not only is she an almost-local gal, but Fudd’s status as a certified sharpshooter would fill a glaring need for DC. As Beckett wrote:
There is no better fit for [head coach] Johnson’s system than Fudd. If the Mystics are picking first, and they are picking for fit, Fudd will be wearing a Mystics hat by the end of draft night. End of story.
Thanks to a trade with the Connecticut Sun, the Sky are not totally shut out of the lottery, possessing a slight chance of coming away with the No. 1 pick.
As Edwin emphasized, even though winning the top pick would not cure all the ills plaguing the Sky, it certainly wouldn’t hurt. He wrote:
But would the No. 1 pick be enough to solve Chicago’s problems and keep [Angel] Reese happy? Probably not. But with all the losses the Sky have piled up, they need a win wherever they can get it…
He sees Betts, Johnson or TCU guard Olivia Miles as three prospects who could help salvage this era of the Sky basketball.
