The Dallas Wings secured the top spot in the WNBA draft lottery for the second year in a row on Sunday evening. With a 42 percent chance of landing the first pick, the Wings, who selected Paige Bueckers as No. 1 in the previous draft, maintained their lottery luck. Following them, the Minnesota Lynx, who held the best record in the league last season, will make the second pick, benefiting from a trade involving the Chicago Sky’s first-round selection.
Seattle, Washington, and Chicago completed the lottery selections. The WNBA is set to expand to 15 teams in the upcoming season with the introduction of the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire. Information regarding the expansion draft for these new franchises is yet to be disclosed. The Tempo and Fire will also have the sixth and seventh picks in the draft next April, respectively.
A coin toss will determine whether the Tempo or Fire will secure the sixth pick, as announced during the WNBA lottery broadcast. Negotiations between the league and the players’ union for a new collective bargaining agreement are ongoing. The deadline for the agreement has been extended from October 31 to November 30. Pending successful negotiations, the draft is expected to take place in April.
While there isn’t a standout top pick like Bueckers this year, the upcoming draft features several promising college players, including Lauren Betts from UCLA, Azzi Fudd from UConn, Flau’jae Johnson from LSU, Olivia Miles from TCU, and Spanish player Awa Fam.
