The 2026 WNBA Draft will start with the Dallas Wings once again.
The Wings won the top pick in the draft lottery held Sunday, and with it the chance to select another potential franchise cornerstone ahead of next season. Dallas also won the lottery last year and drafted 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers with the top selection.
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Full 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery results:
1. Dallas Wings
2. Minnesota Lynx
3. Seattle Storm
4. Washington Mystics
5. Chicago Sky
The Wings had the most assigned combinations on Sunday after having the worst two-year cumulative record of the five teams that did not make the playoffs last season. Not only will a new top selection be joining the franchise, but a new coach, too, as the Wings hired longtime University of South Florida coach Jose Fernandez in late October. Fernandez replaced Chris Koclanes, who coached the Wings to a 10-34 season last summer and was dismissed after one year.
“This won’t be the same old Dallas Wings,” Fernandez said at his introductory press conference. “Change is coming, and we’re gonna win.”
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Unlike in past years, in which Bueckers, Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston were thought to be consensus top picks in their respective drafts, this year’s top selection is less clear. LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson, TCU’s Olivia Miles, UConn’s Azzi Fudd and UCLA’s Lauren Betts are among the possible current collegiate options thought of as potential top picks. Awa Fam, a 19-year-old Spanish forward, could also be the No. 1 pick come April as she is brimming with potential.
The 2026 WNBA Draft is scheduled for Monday, April 13, but the date could be moved depending on how the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement talks progress.
How were the odds and picks determined?
Odds are determined by the two-year cumulative records of the four teams that did not make the playoffs in 2025. With a cumulative record of 19-65, the Wings had the most assigned combinations (420 out of 1,000) and were guaranteed at least a top-three pick. The Lynx held the second-most combinations (261 out of 1,000) after acquiring their top pick in deals with the Chicago Sky, who were 23-61 over the last two seasons. The Lynx acquired swap rights for Chicago’s 2026 pick ahead of the 2024 draft, in a move that allowed the Sky to move up to No. 7 to select Angel Reese.
The Storm had the third-most combinations (167 out of 1,000) after acquiring the Los Angeles Sparks’ 2026 first-round pick in a 2024 trade that sent Kia Nurse to Los Angeles. The Sparks had a 29-55 record since 2024. The Mystics had the fourth-most combinations (97 out of 1,000) while the Sky had the fifth-most (55 out of 1,000) after re-acquiring a first-round pick from the Connecticut Sun.
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Full 2026 WNBA Draft Order
1. Wings
2. Lynx
3. Storm
4. Mystics
5. Sky
6. Either Portland Fire or Toronto Tempo
7. Either Portland Fire or Toronto Tempo
8. Golden State Valkyries
9. Mystics
10. Indiana Fever
11. Mystics
12. Sun
13. Atlanta Dream
14. Storm
15. Sun
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Los Angeles Sparks, Washington Mystics, Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Dallas Wings, Las Vegas Aces, Phoenix Mercury, Golden State Valkyries, Portland Fire, Toronto Tempo, WNBA
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