The WNBA is set to welcome its new rookie class, headlined by Paige Bueckers when the league holds its annual draft Monday night.
The UConn star, who is fresh off leading the Huskies to their 12th national championship, is projected to go No. 1 to the Dallas Wings. Bueckers will be a big piece on and off the court for the Wings.
[MORE: ‘My journey became hers’: Geno Auriemma, Paige Bueckers share fairytale ending]
Seattle has the second pick and potentially could take France’s Dominique Malonga. The 19-year-old helped France win the silver medal at the Paris Olympics this past summer. If she’s drafted second, she’d be only the fifth foreign player to go in the first two picks in the history of the league. Margo Dydek went first in 1998 and Lauren Jackson was the No. 1 pick three years later. Liz Cambage was drafted second in 2011 and Awak Kuier went No. 2 in 2021.
The Washington Mystics will control the direction of the draft after the top two picks, having the third, fourth and sixth picks. Washington has a new coach and general manager.
Five teams don’t have picks in the opening round, as New York, Indiana, Phoenix and Atlanta all traded away their picks. Las Vegas forfeited its pick following an investigation by the league in 2023 that found the franchise violated league…
