A bold 2026 WNBA mock draft has the Wings stacking talent around Paige Bueckers as Lauren Betts is projected at No. 2.BT

The 2025 WNBA regular season came to a close on Thursday, which means the odds for the 2026 Draft Lottery are locked in. The Dallas Wings, who won the No. 1 pick in 2025 and selected Paige Bueckers, have the best odds again this year, and are one of just two lottery teams, along with the Washington Mystics, that control their own pick. 

The Chicago Sky owe their first-round pick to the Minnesota Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks owe their first-round selection to the Seattle Storm. In addition, the Connecticut Sun owe the Sky a first-round pick swap. Because the Sky also own the Phoenix Mercury’s first-rounder, the Sky will get the more favorable of the Sun/Mercury picks, while the Sun will get the least favorable of those selections. With the Sun in the lottery and the Mercury in the playoffs, the Sky are guaranteed to receive the Sun’s pick.

Due to the ongoing labor battle between the league and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association, no date has been set for Draft Lottery or the 2026 WNBA Draft. Typically, the Draft Lottery is held in late November or early December, and the draft in April following the conclusion of the NCAA season. 

As teams begin to ramp up their draft preparation, here’s an early look at how the lottery could look next spring. For now, we’ll use the odds-based order. 

1. Dallas Wings: Awa Fam – C, Spain

The Wings, who didn’t have a single player average more than six rebounds or one block per game, desperately need a frontcourt star to pair with 2025 No. 1 pick and presumptive Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers. Lauren Betts, the 6-foot-7 UCLA product, will be the safe and obvious choice, but the upside play is Awa Fam. The 6-foot-4 Spaniard can play across the frontline and is only 19 years old. 

Fam is still raw, but athletic and versatile bigs who can make plays with the ball in their hands are the present and future of the league. And as she showed this summer when she led Spain to an upset win over France in the EuroBasket Women semifinals with 21 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks, she’s already capable of competing with WNBA-caliber players. 

It’s unclear if she’ll declare this year, but she’s eligible as an international player. If Fam is on the board, the Wings should bet on her potential. Players with her combination of size, mobility and skill don’t come around very often. 

2. Minnesota Lynx (via Chicago): Lauren Betts – C, UCLA

The Lynx are the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs and will have a lottery selection in the 2026 draft thanks to a previous trade with the Chicago Sky. It turns out that sometimes you actually can have your cake and eat it too. 

As the favorites to win the 2025 title, the Lynx don’t have any pressing needs. One area they could use some help, though, is the frontcourt. Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith are terrific players, but their lack of size leaves the Lynx in trouble against certain matchups. 

The 6-foot-7 Betts would certainly give them a true center. While Betts doesn’t fit the five-out system the Lynx have used to such success over the last two seasons, she’s as close to a sure thing as there is in the draft and is too talented to pass on.   

3. Seattle Storm (via Los Angeles): Olivia Miles – G, TCU

For the second year in a row, the Storm will be picking in the lottery courtesy of the Sparks. Last year, they had their sights set on Olivia Miles, but she went back to school (and transferred to TCU) at the last minute, so they had to pivot to French phenom Dominique Malonga. 

That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as Malonga showed substantial promise, especially in the second half of the season, and is regarded as one of the best young bigs in the league. And now, because the Sparks failed to make the playoffs, the Storm may have a chance to draft Miles after all. 

Miles is a big, versatile guard with high-level playmaking skills and showed off a much-improved 3-point shot at Notre Dame last season. A long-term pick-and-roll partnership between Miles and Malonga would be super exciting. 

4. Washington Mystics: Flau’jae Johnson – G, LSU

The Mystics’ rebuild is off to a great start. They nailed their general manager (Jamila Wideman) and coach (Sydney Johnson) hires, crushed the 2025 draft by adding Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen and Georgia Amoore and now have three more first-round picks in the 2026 draft. 

While they were a bit more competitive than everyone expected this season, that was in large part thanks to their defense. They were one of the worst offensive teams in the league and could really use some more scoring punch from the perimeter. 

Enter Flau’jae Johnson, who helped LSU win a national championship as a freshman, and has consistently improved throughout her time at Baton Rouge. She excels at getting downhill and running in transition, but also has a reliable jumper and can score at all three levels. 

5. Chicago Sky (via Connecticut): Azzi Fudd – G, UConn

The Sky are a mess. Their win-now moves last offseason did not pan out, and they did not even come close to making the playoffs. To make matters worse, they may have alienated star forward Angel Reese and owe the Lynx their first-round pick. 

Thanks to the Marina Mabrey trade last summer, however, they own swap rights with the Sun’s first-round pick and will still wind up with a lottery selection. They need plenty of help, particularly on the perimeter. Notably, they were 12th in 3-point attempts per game this season and ninth in 3-point percentage. 

Fudd, an elite 3-point threat and former No. 1 recruit, would be a perfect fit to help space the floor around Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The only concern is Fudd’s injury history, which includes multiple ACL tears.