The WNBA got the Feast Week party started early Sunday with the lottery for the 2026 WNBA draft. For the second year in a row, the Wings will have the No. 1 pick, followed by the Lynx, Storm, Mystics and Sky.
While there’s still a lot for the WNBA and its players' union to figure out before we even get to draft day, our writers and editors started playing matchmaker. Let’s see how they pair up some of the top prospects with the lottery teams.
Emma Baccellieri: Awa Fam and the Lynx. (Though it’s worth noting that Fam’s ceiling is high enough that she might end up being an incredible fit anywhere.) The 19-year-old, 6-foot-4 Spaniard, who plays for Valencia Basket in Spain, will likely need a while to fully develop her talent. But if that happens in a universe where Minnesota’s core is still intact after this upcoming round of free agency… look out. A versatile, mobile big like Fam playing with Napheesa Collier inside and balanced out by the Lynx’ guard talent could potentially be very scary for the rest of the league.
Clare Brennan: Azzi Fudd and the Wings. Dallas desperately needs to boost its frontcourt (and the opportunity to draft a potentially generational player in Fam is tempting), but it can do that in free agency. The Wings also need shooters, ranking 11th in three-pointers made and 12th in three-point percentage last season. Fudd could certainly help jumpstart and diversify Dallas’s offense as the best shooter in the 2026 draft class. The UConn guard already knows how to play with franchise star Paige Bueckers, and the two could be a compelling core for new coach Jose Fernandez to build around. While she isn’t the consensus No. 1 pick, Fudd’s game translates very well to the pros, making her a tempting prospect.
Dan Falkenheim: Flau’jae Johnson and the Mystics. If Georgia Amoore can return to form after she tore her right ACL in late April, a Amoore-Johnson backcourt duo would offer a tantalizing amount of on-ball shot creation. Her defensive upside can also help stem the loss of Brittney Sykes. Between Johnson, Amoore, Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, the Mystics would have a fun core to build around for years to come.
Syla Swords shot her way onto the national stage this week. The Michigan sophomore drained a career-high eight three-pointers in her team’s narrow 72–69 loss to No. 1 UConn. Three of those came in the game’s final minute to pull the Wolverines within one with seconds left on the clock. She finished the night with 29 points, nine rebounds and three assists, bested only by UConn star Azzi Fudd’s 31 points.
“Those are two of the best shooters in the country playing tonight against each other,” Geno Auriemma said of Swords and Fudd after the game, “and they both put on quite a show. Not easy for them to get those shots, but they seem to be able to make shots other people have a hard time making.”
Water 💦 pic.twitter.com/TdXNxFXD98
The 19-year-old not only knocked down clutch shot after clutch shot as the clock wound down, but also exhibited her range, pulling up from well beyond the arc. Her flashy shooting ability is matched by her poise, acting as the Wolverine’s anchor down the stretch as they went toe-to-toe with the nation’s top team. Swords—along with her fellow sophomores Olivia Olson and Mila Halloway—is one to watch on this ascendant Michigan squad. —Brennan
Riser: Iowa. While Notre Dame deserves credit for bouncing back against USC, Iowa’s play to date also warrants praise. Senior forward Hannah Stuelke has been as reliable as ever and merits more attention. But her frontcourt partner, sophomore Ava Heiden, came through in a big way last week. She led the Hawkeyes in scoring in tough wins against No. 7 Baylor and Miami, taking Most Outstanding Player honors at the WCBA Showcase in Orlando. After averaging less than 10 minutes per game last year, she’s taken a second-year leap. Iowa has also benefited on both ends of the floor from the arrival of sophomore guard Chit-Chat Wright (day-to-day with an upper body injury), and has quietly been one of the nation’s top teams on the defensive end. —Falkenheim
Faller: NC State. While the Wolfpack opened the season with a win against Tennessee, they then lost to USC on Jazzy Davidson’s go-ahead layup with 8.2 seconds left, fell to TCU by double-digits and lost to unranked Rhode Island on Sunday. (It was NC State’s first loss to a mid-major opponent at home since December 2015.) So, what gives? The Wolfpack have a middling offense (199th in field goal percentage) that doesn’t generate opportunities at the charity stripe (346th in free throw rate) and lacks three-point shooting. That’s not a recipe conducive to success, and the team will need more efficient play out of guard Zoe Brooks and forward Khamil Pierre. —Falkenheim
“OH MY GOODNESS MARLEY WASHENITZ” 🤯
Relive yesterday’s insane game winner by @sundevilwbb courtesy of @Vincemarotta & @SunDevilPBP pic.twitter.com/xRek0XNxft
I’ve eaten up every angle of every replay of this game-winner from Marley Washenitz. It takes guts to call game and grab the ball from a teammate like that. Washenitz made sure it paid off. —Baccelierri
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Clare Brennan is an associate editor for Sports Illustrated focused on women’s sports. Before joining SI in October 2022, she worked as an associate editor at Just Women’s Sports and as an associate producer for WDET in Detroit. Brennan has a bachelor's in international studies from the University of Wisconsin and a master's in art history from Wayne State University.
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Emma Baccellieri is a staff writer who focuses on baseball and women's sports for Sports Illustrated. She previously wrote for Baseball Prospectus and Deadspin, and has appeared on BBC News, PBS NewsHour and MLB Network. Baccellieri has been honored with multiple awards from the Society of American Baseball Research, including the SABR Analytics Conference Research Award in historical analysis (2022), McFarland-SABR Baseball Research Award (2020) and SABR Analytics Conference Research Award in contemporary commentary (2018). A graduate from Duke University, she’s also a member of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
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