It’s been quite an eventful free agency period in the WNBA, and now that the dust has mostly settled and we know where everyone will be playing in 2025, it’s time to return to the WNBA Draft board and see what’s changed—and what hasn’t.
Since our last mock draft, which was written shortly after the Golden State Valkyries picked much of their inaugural roster in the December expansion draft, a flurry of free agency activity has shaken up the spring draft board considerably. Five of the first 12 picks in the draft (first round) have changed teams, most notably Nos. 2 and 3, which were traded to the Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics, respectively.
What does that say about the level of talent in this draft class? Each WNBA team might have a different answer to that question, depending on their goals for the draft, but the top two picks in the draft seem to be a foregone conclusion regardless. As for the rest, let’s run through the draft board again and project how the first round might shake out now that the busiest period of free agency is over.
1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers (UConn)
For all the movement lower in the draft order and in free agency, nothing has changed here. Bueckers is not only the best player in the 2025 draft class, she’s one of the best guard prospects we’ve ever seen: a legitimate three-level scorer and gifted playmaker, Bueckers can operate with or without the basketball at a high level, and at 6-foot-0 she’s not going to get bullied physically by many opponents at her position. For the fourth-consecutive season, she’s shooting at least 52 percent from the field (59.2 percent on 2-pointers and 40.7 percent on 3-pointers), and her floor game has never been better, as evidenced by her career-best 3.81 assist/turnover ratio. The Wings have been searching for years for the perfect complement to Arike Ogunbowale in their backcourt, and they’ve finally found it in Bueckers.
2. Seattle Storm: Olivia Miles (Notre Dame)
Seattle acquired the No. 2 overall pick in the blockbuster trade that sent Kelsey Plum to Los Angeles and Jewell Loyd to Las Vegas, so you can safely assume the Storm have someone they’re targeting there. Miles hasn’t just sustained her high level of play since returning from a knee injury that cost her all of the 2023-24 season—she’s gotten even better, particularly at shooting the 3-pointer, where she’s knocking down 41.3 percent of her attempts while taking twice as many as she did as a sophomore. Miles’ playmaking, meanwhile, remains brilliant; it can be argued that she’s the most skilled passer in the country, and when she’s pushing the pace for Notre Dame, she maximizes her teammates’ talents in a way no one else in this class can. The Storm need another starting-caliber guard after Loyd’s exit, as well as a high-ceiling player to build around for the future, and Miles undoubtedly fits that description.
3. Washington Mystics: Sonia Citron (Notre Dame)
In case there was any question as to which direction the Mystics will be heading in under the new regime of general manager Jamila Wideman and head coach Sydney Johnson, it was answered when they traded franchise stalwart Ariel Atkins to Chicago for the No. 3 pick in the draft. Washington now has three first-round picks, and whatever they do with those selections will impact the rest of the first-round order dramatically.
Citron is the type of player every WNBA team wants: a tall guard (6-foot-1) who shoots the 3-pointer well (38.5 percent on 4.2 attempts per game) and can be tasked with defending the opposing team’s top perimeter scorer. In that regard, her game is similar to Atkins’, and while the Mystics are going to be expected to pick a player with star upside at some point in this draft, there’s something to be said for a reliable “3-and-D” prospect, too, especially for a team like Washington that will more or less be starting completely anew in 2025.
4. Washington Mystics: Dominique Malonga (France)
The player with star upside? That’s Malonga. At 6-foot-6, the 19-year old center is oozing with athletic potential, and unlike many “project” players drafted to the WNBA at her age, her skills are rapidly catching up with her physical gifts. Malonga has developed a short-range fadeaway jumpshot to go along with the lobs and blocked shots one would expect of a player of her size, and she’s even hit the occasional 3-pointer when given space.
To be clear, Malonga is far from a finished product, but looking at what she’s currently doing in France (18.3 points, 10.8 rebounds and one block per game for LDLC ASVEL Féminin in EuroCup Women), WNBA teams have to be bullish on what she’ll eventually become. Malonga wouldn’t even have to play this summer to justify being chosen in the lottery, and with the Mystics having several first-round picks, they’d be more than happy to draft and stash her for the future.
5. Golden State Valkyries: Kiki Iriafen (USC)
As an expansion team entering its first season in the WNBA, everything is on the table for Golden State. The Valkyries came up empty in their pursuit of several top free agents, so they’ll be building through the draft instead, and since they’ll essentially be starting from scratch, they probably won’t be too concerned about how the No. 5 pick fits on their roster right away. Iriafen may have lost some steam as a draft prospect since last season, having transferred to USC to play second fiddle to a generational talent in JuJu Watkins, but she’s been quietly effective in that role, averaging 18.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting 50.3 percent from the floor. At 6-foot-3 with a plus wingspan, Iriafen has the physical tools to make an impact in the WNBA immediately, and if the Valkyries draft her at No. 5, she’ll have the opportunity to do just that.
6. Washington Mystics: Te-Hina Paopao (South Carolina)
The Mystics may not go into this draft planning on drafting for need, but they’re also quite short on ball handling at the moment, with 22-year old Jade Melbourne the only true point guard listed on Washington’s roster. Paopao herself has served as more of an off-guard during her time at South Carolina, but she projects to be more of a point guard in the WNBA, which is a transition she’s well-equipped for. Paopao is only turning the ball over 1.2 times per game and is knocking down 38.6 percent of her 3-point attempts—a number that is low by her standards, which puts into perspective just how good of a shooter she is. She’d bring valuable stability to the Mystics’ backcourt and safely plug in next to whichever players they take at Nos. 3 and 4.
7. New York Liberty: Shyanne Sellers (Maryland)
Aside from re-signing perennial All-Star Breanna Stewart, there’s not much the Liberty have left to do this offseason. The defending champs did lose Courtney Vandersloot in free agency, and while Sabrina Ionescu has asserted herself as the team’s primary ball handler, New York will still probably want to add more backcourt depth, in which case Sellers would be a logical choice. Though she’s been playing point guard for Maryland for several seasons now, at 6-foot-2, Sellers profiles more as a wing at the next level; this might make her even more appealing for the Liberty, who won the 2024 WNBA Finals thanks in large part to a rotation of perimeter players who could pass, defend and shoot. She’d not only be able to back up Ionescu at point guard, but also complement players like Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Leonie Fiebich and Rebekah Gardner on the wing.
8. Connecticut Sun: Saniya Rivers (NC State)
The Sun may be avoiding saying that they’re rebuilding, but after losing their entire starting lineup from 2024 in free agency, they don’t have much choice. They do have a pair of young guards in Jacy Sheldon and Leïla Lacan that will presumably be a big part of their plans moving forward, but that’s about it, and No. 8 is certainly not a favorable spot for a team in such a situation. Connecticut could use the pick to take an upside swing on Rivers, whose athletic profile at 6-foot-1 and ability to create havoc on defense from the wing position are reasons enough to overlook her lack of a signature offensive skill. The Sun would definitely need to be patient with Rivers, who is currently averaging 12 points, 6.3 rebounds and a combined three defensive stats per game, but they have nothing else to do as they try to recover from a disastrous offseason, so she’d get plenty of opportunities to play right away.
9. Los Angeles Sparks: Azzi Fudd (UConn)
Having traded the No. 2 pick in the draft for Plum, the Sparks now have a bonafide go-to offensive player, and 2024 draftees Rickea Jackson and Cameron Brink are also unquestionably part of the team’s foundation, so they probably won’t be trying to hit an unlikely home run at No. 9. Fudd has managed to stay healthy for most of this season, and she’s reasserted herself as one of the country’s purest jumpshooters, cashing in on 45.9 percent of her 5.1 3-point attempts per game, so if the Sparks are looking to grab more shooting, she’ll likely be near the top of their shopping list, especially if they view Plum as more of a lead guard than an off-ball one.
10. Chicago Sky: Georgia Amoore (Kentucky)
The Sky’s free agency moves, which included welcoming back a franchise great in Vandersloot and adding a group of shooters in Atkins, Rebecca Allen and Kia Nurse, signaled a clear intent to compete in 2025, especially considering they gave up the No. 3 overall pick in the process. Despite this, the Sky probably won’t be on the same level as teams like New York and Minnesota, and with the 36-year old Vandersloot in the twilight of her career, they’ll need to have the future in mind when making this pick. Amoore is best known for being a prolific 3-point bomber, but she’s also one of the country’s premier passers, averaging seven assists per game (No. 3 in Division I) in her first season with the Wildcats. Her shooting would help the Sky right away, and she’d be able to slide into the role of the team’s primary playmaker in coming years.
11. Minnesota Lynx: Makayla Timpson (Florida State)
The Lynx largely stood pat during free agency, re-signing guard Natisha Hiedeman and losing forward Myisha Hines-Allen to the Dallas Wings and doing little else. As long as their starting lineup remains intact, they’ll be a threat to return to the WNBA Finals, though they could use additional depth on the wing and in their frontcourt. Timpson is an elite athlete at the power forward position, averaging 10.8 rebounds (four offensive), 3.1 blocks and 1.9 steals per game as a senior. Her activity level would further bolster a Lynx frontcourt that was among the best in the WNBA last season at making plays on defense.
12. Dallas Wings: Aneesah Morrow (LSU)
Morrow continues stuffing the stat sheet for LSU, averaging 17.8 points and a Division I-best 14.1 rebounds per game, and from a perspective of pure physicality and motor, she’s definitely WNBA-ready. WNBA coaches might be concerned about her height (6-foot-1), however, as well as her scoring efficiency; she’s currently shooting just 43.5 percent from the field against SEC competition, which isn’t ideal for a player who takes most of their shots from inside the paint. Whichever team drafts her will need to be confident that she can find more efficient offense playing alongside what they already have. In the Wings’ case, Morrow would benefit greatly from the playmaking abilities of Bueckers and Ogunbowale, theoretically facing much less defensive attention than she currently does at LSU.
For the purposes of this exercise, the next players off the board include Aziaha James (NC State), Juste Jocyte (Lithuania), Ja’Naiya Quinerly (West Virginia), and Ajsa Sivka (Slovenia).
.webp?ssl=1 "What happened on Day 2 of the Barcelona Shakedown?")
