As the WNBA playoffs roll on and the Minnesota Lynx, Las Vegas Aces, Indiana Fever, and Phoenix Mercury fight for the title, the rest of the league’s attention turns toward next season. And that means it’s 2026 WNBA mock draft time!
The Dallas Wings, Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks, and Washington Mystics will make up the lottery in an order to be determined, with the Sky’s pick going to the Lynx and the Sparks’ selection moving to the Seattle Storm. After the lottery, we’ll see the teams in reverse order from where they finish, plus the two expansion teams: the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire.
1) Dallas Wings
Lauren Betts, C, UCLA
While 2025 No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers was fantastic in her rookie campaign, the rest of the Wings were nothing special to build around.
UCLA’s Lauren Betts is 6’7″ and can dominate in the middle. She has excellent footwork and touch and averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks in her junior season with the Bruins.
The Wings only managed 10 wins this season, but because of Bueckers, there is a lot of optimism around the team. Adding a low-post counterpoint to the star guard in Betts could quickly propel Dallas into the league’s upper echelon.
2) Minnesota Lynx (via Chicago Sky)
Azzi Fudd, G, UConn
The rich get richer here as the 2025 No. 1 overall seed and potential WNBA champs come away with the second pick in the 2026 draft, thanks to a 2025 pre-draft trade where the Sky traded up to No. 11 to ultimately take Hailey Van Lith.
More Azzi Fudd workout footage with NBA Trainer Coach P (@Pnewt0n)
She is the best player in the nation and should have UCONN in the mix for another National Championship
Hard work is undefeated and nobody works harder pic.twitter.com/kN9nQeebm9
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) September 24, 2025
While the Lynx don’t have any significant needs, per se, their excellent guards, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams, are both on the wrong side of 30. Getting another guard to help Napheesa Collier and DiJonai Carrington keep dominating in their primes.
3) Seattle Storm (via Los Angeles Sparks)
Olivia Miles, G, Notre Dame
The Storm have an aging and forward-heavy lineup with Gabby Williams, Skylar Diggins, and Nneka Ogwumike carrying the offensive load. The team would be better off if they could bring in a skilled facilitator to create more chances on offense.
Enter Olivia Miles, the TCU senior who played four seasons at Notre Dame and led the ACC in assists for the last three years, averaging 6.5 dimes. With Miles running the show, which consists of a ton of veteran talent, the Storm could do much better than the No. 7 seed next season.
4) Washington Mystics
Ti’Niya Latson, G, South Carolina
The Mystics finished 11th in the league, scoring just 77.1 points per game. And while their rebuild is going well with Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the team needs more scoring punch. So, how about adding the player who led Division I Women’s Basketball in scoring last season?
Ti’Niya Latson averaged 25.2 points for Florida State last season while adding 4.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists. She steps up in class this season, transferring to play for Dawn Staley and the Gamecocks. If Latson can score like that again for one of the best teams in the nation, she may go even higher than this.
5) Chicago Sky (via Connecticut Sun)
Flau’jae Johnson, G, LSU
After Angel Reese trashed her teammates, specifically her guards, at the end of the season, the Sky obviously need to add some ballhandlers who complement Reese and whom she may respect more than her current playmakers.
That’s why LSU star Flau’jae Johnson makes so much sense here. She is a scorer (18.6 PPG) who rebounds well for her position (5.6 RPG). Plus, we know she can play nicely with Reese, as the two won a national championship together with the Tigers.
This makes too much sense from a basketball and off-the-court entertainment perspective.
6) Toronto Tempo
Awa Fam, C, Spain
Starting a franchise is a tough task, and the Toronto Tempo has to figure out who the face of their franchise will be. With the biggest names in women’s college basketball off the board, Toronto will turn its attention to Europe and grab 6’6″ center Awa Fam.
MORE: 2026 WNBA Mock Draft: Lauren Betts Unites With Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd Lands With Championship Contender
Fam is raw and more of a project than Lauren Betts, but she also brings more upside. At just 19, there is a ton of room to grow, and Fam could become a dominant player and an international star who will be at home north of the border.
7) Portland Fire
Ashlon Jackson, G, Duke
The Portland Fire also has to figure out its identity in the 2026 WNBA Draft, and by picking Ashlon Jackson, the team will be a defense-first squad. She is a 3-and-D star who will quickly become one of the best on-ball defenders in the league.
Jackson also has some offensive firepower, hitting 37.2% of her 3-pointers last season. If she can improve on her 12.4 points per game average, there is no reason the Blue Devils guard can’t become the face of a franchise, not just a defensive cornerstone.
8) Golden State Valkyries
Gianna Kneepkens, G, UCLA
Natalie Nakase and the Golden State Valkyries’ needs are relatively easy to diagnose. The team played excellent defense last year and won games, but that was in spite of taking (and missing) a lot of 3-point shots. The 2025 expansion squad led the league and set WNBA records with 29.9 3-point attempts per game and 1,314 total attempts, but were third-worst in 3-point percentage (32.5%).
This screams out for the best pure shooter in the draft, so Gianna Kneepkens is the pick here. The former Utah Ute turned UCLA Bruin shot 44.8% from deep, 57.3% from the field, and 89.0% from the line. Her shooting is precisely what the Valkyries need to improve on their incredible inaugural campaign.
9) Washington Mystics (via Seattle Storm)
Serah Williams, PF, UConn
With Latson already in the door in the 2026 NBA mock draft, the Mystics need to address the frontcourt, with Shakira Austin and Stefanie Dolson restricted and unrestricted free agents, respectively, this offseason.
Serah Williams is a 6’4″ power forward who averaged 19.4 points at Wisconsin last season before transferring to UConn. Playing with Fudd and Sarah Strong should help take her game to another level, which is one that Washington could desperately use.
10) Indiana Fever
Cotie McMahon, F, Ole Miss
Cotie McMahon is a do-it-all forward who averaged 16.5 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 2.1 APG, while shooting 37.4% from behind the arc last season for Ohio State. Now in the SEC, McMahon will continue to develop her game into a WNBA-quality skill set.
At 6’0″, McMahon’s defense, shooting, and off-ball ability will fit in well with a Fever squad led by Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, and featuring solid veteran role players in Sophie Cunningham and Lexi Hull.
11) Washington Mystics (via New York Liberty)
Chloe Kitts, F, South Carolina
With Latson and Williams in the building, the Mystics can avoid drafting for positional needs and simply take the best player available because, in reality, the team needs another true star more than any one position.
South Carolina’s Chloe Kitts has some overlap with Iriafen, but her rebounding will always be valuable to a team, no matter what her role. Plus, she’s improved her scoring every season, and if she can shoot a few more threes, there is real star two-way potential here.
12) Connecticut Sun (via Phoenix Mercury)
Raegan Beers, C, Oklahoma
The Sun has a young core, including four rookies (Leïla Lacan, Aneesah Morrow, Saniya Rivers, and Rayah Marshall) and one-year vet Aaliyah Edwards last season. Veterans Tina Charles and Marina Mabrey are both unrestricted free agents this offseason, so the team could add a point guard or center at the end.
With this pick, the Sun go center and add Oklahoma center Raegan Beers, who, with 17.3 PPG last season, is one of the best low-post scorers in the country. She has been adding an outside shot to her game, too, which makes her a big value toward the end of Round 1.
13) Atlanta Dream
Yarden Garzon, G, Maryland
The Atlanta Dream’s biggest issue this offseason will be re-signing its veterans, as all but two players on the roster are free agents. After that, the problem becomes how to get more shooting around bigs Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, if they return.
To solve the latter, the Dream take Maryland shooter Yarden Garzon in this 2026 WNBA mock draft. The former Indiana Hoosier has shot 42.6% from 3-point range and drilled 220 outside shots in her career thus far. If they all return, that kind of deadeye would fit in perfectly on this Atlanta team.
14) Seattle Storm (via Las Vegas Aces)
Madina Okot, C, South Carolina
In this scenario, the Storm already has Miles on board, so it’ll turn its attention to the other end of the lineup and grab uber-athletic South Carolina center Madina Okot. Okot is moving up in class like several others on this list, transferring from Mississippi State to the Gamecocks. If she continues to ball out there, he draft stock could skyrocket.
Okot averages 11.3 PPG, 9.6 RPG, and 1.1 BPG. At 6’6″, her energy and abilities will make her a valuable addition to any WNBA roster.
15) Connecticut Sun (via Minnesota Lynx)
Kiki Rice, G, UCLA
Three picks ago, we talked about the Sun adding a center or point guard to replace Mabrey and Charles this offseason. Well, now that Beers is in the building, the Sun should grab their point guard of the future in Kiki Rice.
