The 2026 WNBA Draft takes place Monday at 7 p.m. ET at The Shed at Hudson Yards in New York City, airing live on ESPN. Eight days after UCLA claimed its first national championship with a win over South Carolina, the league’s next generation of talent is ready to find out where it lands.
This draft carries more weight than most. Two expansion franchises, the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo, are participating for the first time. A new collective bargaining agreement requires all teams to carry 12-player rosters, creating more roster spots than the league has offered in years. And the Dallas Wings, coming off a 10-34 season despite drafting Paige Bueckers with the top pick in 2025, hold the No. 1 selection again, with genuinely no consensus on who they will take.
Four players, one open seat
The conversation around the top pick has rotated between four names throughout the pre-draft process. TCU guard Olivia Miles is the most recent front-runner in several mock drafts, arriving at that position after averaging 19 points, 9.8 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game during the NCAA tournament, where the Horned Frogs fell to South Carolina in the Elite Eight. Miles transferred from Notre Dame to TCU for her senior season specifically to sharpen her pro readiness, and the gamble appears to have paid off. She is ball-dominant by nature but could work well alongside Bueckers, who is effective without the ball in her hands.
Spanish center Awa Fam carries the most upside of any prospect in this class. At 19 years old and 6 feet 4 inches, she would become the first international player taken first overall since Lauren Jackson went No. 1 in 2001. Her footwork, passing ability and defensive versatility have drawn significant attention, and she sits as the current betting favorite to go first at the top sportsbooks.
UConn guard Azzi Fudd is the most accomplished pure shooter in the draft, having connected on 44.7% of her three-point attempts this season. She won a national championship with Bueckers in 2025 and would represent a continuity pick for Dallas, pairing two players with established chemistry. UCLA center Lauren Betts rounds out the top tier. She was named Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four after averaging 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks during the tournament. A two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, Betts brings a diverse skill set to a position that does not always offer it.
The rest of the first round
Beyond the top four, the first round offers genuine depth. UCLA guard Kiki Rice, who helped the Bruins to the national title, projects as a high-upside pick for the Chicago Sky at No. 5. LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson, one of the draft’s best slashers and defenders, is expected to land with the expansion Toronto Tempo at No. 6. South Carolina guard Raven Johnson, who shot 41.4% from three this season, gives the Portland Fire a steady foundational piece in their first-ever draft at No. 7.
Golden State Valkyries are projected to go international again at No. 8, adding French forward Nell Angloma after selecting two European prospects in 2025. UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens, a career 43.2% three-point shooter across five collegiate seasons, projects to Washington at No. 9, addressing one of the team’s most glaring weaknesses. Indiana Fever get UCLA’s Gabriela Jaquez at No. 10, a versatile wing whose tournament performance suggests her jumper has turned a corner.
South Carolina center Madina Okot, one of the youngest prospects in the class at 21, brings raw athleticism and surprising shooting touch to Washington’s third first-round pick at No. 11. Connecticut Sun address their backcourt with South Carolina guard Ta’Niya Latson at No. 12, a scoring threat whose athleticism creates problems in transition. Atlanta Dream are projected to take Spanish guard Iyana Martin at No. 13, a prospect-level pick they may stash abroad for another season. Seattle Storm get Duke guard Ashlon Jackson at No. 14, a playmaker who averaged 4.6 assists as a senior. Ole Miss forward Cotie McMahon closes out the first round at No. 15 for Connecticut, bringing athleticism and upside to a roster still rebuilding its identity.
What makes this draft different
The transfer portal has reshaped how draft classes are assembled. Six of the 15 projected first-round picks spent their final college season at a school they transferred to specifically to improve their draft positioning. The trend reflects a broader shift in how elite players are approaching their last years of eligibility, treating the final season less as a loyalty decision and more as a professional audition.
With 45 total picks across three rounds and mandatory 12-player rosters in place for the first time, more draftees than ever have a realistic path to sticking with a team past draft night. The league is growing, and Monday’s draft is where that growth becomes visible.