The 2026 Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Draft took place on April 13 in New York. I was looking forward to this year’s draft, considering we were getting some really good players coming out of college, including Azzi Fudd, Lauren Betts, Olivia Miles, and more. This upcoming WNBA season is in for a wild ride, especially  since players are being paid now more than ever due to the  new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Starting off with the No. 1 overall pick, the Dallas Wings, who received the pick by winning the draft lottery. This year, there were a lot of contenders for No. 1. For me, it was between Fudd from University of Connecticut or Awa Fam from Spain. When I saw that Fudd ended up being the Wings’ first choice, I wasn’t surprised. I was more excited than anything. 

Fudd is back to playing with former teammate Paige Bueckers. She also has insane stats from the 2025-2026 season with the UConn Huskies. Fudd had a 44.7% 3-point average this season. She also had a 48.1 field goal percentage, making almost half her shots every game that she played. I think she could amplify what the Wings started to build with Bueckers this past season. 

As for the rest of the Top 5 picks, they all made perfect sense for each team. Miles went to the Minnesota Lynx at No. 2.. A standout player at Texas Christian University this season, Miles averaged 19.6 points per game, becoming a household point guard in Women’s College Basketball, as she led the Horned Frogs to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament this season. Miles could become a real asset to the Lynx and bring them more of the traditional point guard that they need in this upcoming season with the veteran players and the rookies on the team. Miles will keep the Lynx’s competitive energy going through the 26-27 basketball season. 

Looking at Fam, she is the youngest player from this year’s draft class. At only 19 years old, she was on the Spanish National Team, gaining tons of pro experience. This season though, after losing Nneka Ogwuimike, Skylar Diggins, and Gabby Williams  in  free agency, the Seattle Storm are going into rebuilding mode. Fam is the perfect addition to the team in order to start that rebuilding process. Fam averaged 8.4 points per game  for five games of the 25 FIBA senior season to go along with  4.2 rebounds.. 

Going over to the Washington Mystics, they drafted Betts from the University of California, Los Angeles Bruins. Standing at 6’7’, Betts was the center for the Bruins during her career. She averaged 58.2% from the field and 17.7 points per game along with shooting  68.8% from the free throw line during her final collegiate season. Bringing in Betts this season can change the way the Mystics go about their defensive strategy during games. Betts is one of the best rim protectors in the collegiate ranks, and she is now moving to a team that was 10th in block rates during the 25-26 season. With the help of Betts, the Mystics can improve their scoring offense, too. 

Gabriela Jaquez went No. 5  in this year’s WNBA Draft. She’s also coming from UCLA and was their guard during her time on the court. She was drafted by the Chicago Sky, helping to fill the gap in rebounds left by Angel Reeese, who was traded to the Atlanta Dream. With Jaquez on the team, she will likely work well with Diggins and Rickea Jackson. In her college stats from the 25-26 season, she averaged 5.5 rebounds, where the Sky were ranking 12th in defense during the previous season. 

All in all, these picks make the most sense to their respective teams. I’m looking forward to seeing what they bring to the court, and how they can improve their teams. The first games of the preseason start on April 25, with the regular season starting shortly after on May 8.