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The UCLA Bruins made history with six players taken in the WNBA draft on Monday, and two of them will be part of a rebuilding Washington Mystics team that earned our top grade. Center Lauren Betts (No. 4 pick) and forward Angela Dugalic (No. 9) will team up in the nation’s capital after helping lead the Bruins to the NCAA championship on April 5.
Editor’s Picks
The Mystics missed the playoffs the past two seasons, going 16-28 in 2025 and 14-26 in 2024. They have not advanced past the first round of the postseason since winning the franchise’s only title in 2019.
But they got two lottery picks last year in guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen, both of whom were All-Stars as rookies, plus No. 6 Georgia Amoore, a point guard who sat out the season because of a knee injury.
Add in their three first-rounders this season — Washington also picked forward Cotie McMahon at No. 11 — and the Mystics have an intriguing young core. Here is how we graded Washington and the rest of the league on draft night.
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No. 4: Lauren Betts, UCLA, C, 6-7
No. 9: Angela Dugalic, UCLA, PF, 6-4
No. 11: Cotie McMahon, Ole Miss, SF, 6-0
No. 19: Cassandre Prosper, Notre Dame, SG, 6-3
No. 30: Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, Baylor, PF, 6-1
No. 34: Rori Harmon, Texas, PG, 5-6
Washington fired general manager Jamila Wideman on April 6 and stated coach Sydney Johnson would take control of basketball operations with support from the Mystics’ staff. That seemed an odd decision so close to the draft, but it didn’t hurt what Washington accomplished Monday. The Mystics had the most picks of any team, and though it’s unlikely they all find a spot on the roster, their top three should contribute this season.
Betts’ ability to hit face-up shots, along with her low-block offense and top-level defense, made her a strong choice even as so-called traditional centers are less popular picks in the WNBA now. Dugalic is a type of player who seems to be coveted in the WNBA: a big shooter who can do everything well. Her stats don’t necessarily stand out, but you see her value when watching her play. McMahon is undersized as a forward, but she has been preparing for a pro role more on the perimeter. Plus, she’s extremely strong, and that will help her at the next level. Prosper is another big player who can shoot 3-pointers. Littlepage-Buggs is an exceptionally good rebounder, and Harmon was the heart of the Texas team that reached the Final Four the past two years.
There are a lot of options for Johnson. But give this team a little while to jell over the next couple of seasons and we’ll see what it can do.
No. 3: Awa Fam Thiam, Spain, C, 6-4
No. 8: Flau’jae Johnson, SG, 5-10, LSU
No. 14: Taina Mair, Duke, PG, 5-9
No. 39: Grace VanSlooten, Michigan State, PF, 6-3
With players such as 6-foot-4 Ezi Magbegor and 6-6 Dominique Malonga on the roster, it might not seem like the Storm needed Fam Thiam. But the 19-year-old has such promise that they didn’t want to bypass her. Plus, can you really have too many talented young forward/centers?
The Storm also needed a point guard, and Mair brings good defense and playmaking. The Storm initially selected Marta Suarez at No. 16, the first pick of the second round. Then they dealt her to Golden State for Johnson, who has a lot of upside as a perimeter scorer and defender. The Storm are in a rebuilding mode, and they got three rookies who should be able to help them. VanSlooten is a reliable post player but does not shoot 3-pointers. Still, she’s not a bad pick for so late in the draft.
No. 2: Olivia Miles, TCU, PG, 5-10
No. 45: Lani White, Utah, SG, 5-11
The Lynx got the No. 2 pick thanks to a savvy trade with Chicago last year — and it paid off because they really needed a good, young point guard, and they got the best one in this draft with Miles. An oft-heard player comparison is Las Vegas veteran Chelsea Gray, who has the ability to make everyone around her better. Miles’ court vision is already pro level, and she can score and rebound, too, as her triple-double prowess in college proved. Defense will be Miles’ biggest need for improvement; she will benefit from working with the Lynx staff.
White might not make the roster, but 3-point shooting is her best strength. She made 72 as a senior shooting 40.4% from beyond the arc.
No. 1: Azzi Fudd, UConn, SG, 5-11
No. 31: Zee Spearman, Tennessee, PF, 6-4
Once the Wings’ free agency moves were made, it became clear that they would pick Fudd as a strong complement to Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers in the backcourt. The Wings added veteran posts Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard and retained Ogunbowale. All those moves create a team that should be stronger defensively and hard to guard with so many high-skilled perimeter threats.
Spearman has size and shot-blocking ability, but she didn’t finish shots during her senior season the way she had earlier in her career. Ultimately, this grade is based entirely on adding Fudd, whose 3-point shooting could help the Wings get back to the playoffs.
No. 10: Raven Johnson, South Carolina, PG, 5-9
No. 25: Justine Pissott, Vanderbilt, SG, 6-4
No. 40: Jessica Timmons, Alabama, SG, 5-8
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The Fever are guard heavy, so they might have considered pivoting to a post player for one of these picks. But we have no qualms with taking Johnson in the first round. She was the best available defensive guard, one who can guard a variety of players — and she’s a good rebounder at her size, too. She also had her best offensive season as a senior, averaging 9.9 points and 5.1 assists. Her energy will fit great with the Fever.
Pissott is an interesting pick because of her 3-point shooting at her size. She made a career-best 95 3s this season, shooting 42.2% from beyond the arc. Timmons is also a good long-range shooter, making 74 3s this past season as she averaged a career-best 16.3 points.
No. 12: Nell Angloma, France, SF, 5-11
No. 15: Gianna Kneepkens, UCLA, SG, 5-11
No. 18: Charlisse Leger-Walker, UCLA, PG, 5-10
No. 37: Taylor Bigby, TCU, SG, 6-1
Angloma was among the promising young European players expected to be selected in the first round, and the Sun were likely happy she was still available at No. 12. UCLA teammates Kneepkens and Leger-Walker bring strong 3-point shooting and playmaking from the national champions.
The Sun took Serah Williams, who played one season at UConn, with the No. 33 pick, then traded her to Portland for Bigby, who had her best season as a senior at TCU, averaging 8.2 points and hitting 65 3-pointers.
No. 13: Madina Okot, South Carolina, C, 6-6
No. 28: Indya Nivar, North Carolina, SG, 5-10
No. 43: Kejia Ran, China, SG, 5-8
Okot is still developing player with only two years of experience in the U.S. college system. But her propensity for double-doubles and ability to get up and down the court well for her size made her a first-rounder. She was projected to go a little higher in ESPN’s final mock draft, so the Dream’s grade rests on the belief that she is going to work out well for them.
Nivar was a surprise; she spent her first season at Stanford and the last three at North Carolina. She had her best season as a senior, averaging 10.6 points. She has not been a good shooter, hitting 25.4% of 3s and 57.3% of free throws in her career. But the Dream value her defense and energy. Ran has international experience and is known for her defensive skills, too.
No. 20: Ta’Niya Latson, South Carolina, SG, 5-8
No. 24: Chance Gray, Ohio State, SG, 5-9
No. 35: Amelia Hassett, Kentucky, PF, 6-4
The Sparks didn’t have a first-round pick, so getting two scoring guards in the second round was what they needed. Latson was draft eligible by age in 2025 and likely would have been picked in the first round then after leading Division I in scoring while at Florida State. But she’s a better all-around player now after her senior season with South Carolina and will be looking to prove that in the WNBA.
Gray played two years at Oregon and then finished with two at Ohio State, averaging 14.7 points this past season while making a career-best 85 3-pointers and shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc. Hassett played just two years in college but stood out with her 3-point shooting, making 55 last season and 99 this season.
No. 5: Gabriela Jaquez, UCLA, SG, 6-0
No. 21: Latasha Lattimore, Ole Miss, PF, 6-4
No. 32: Tonie Morgan, Kentucky, PG, 5-9
This draft’s success for the Sky depends on two things: Will Jaquez live up to the promise of a No. 5 pick, and will Lattimore be the best version of herself that we saw in her last two seasons of college? Jaquez brings a ton of energy to an organization that really needs that kind of player; she could quickly become a fan favorite. Lattimore is well traveled; she started her college career at Texas, then played at Miami, Virginia and Ole Miss. Her best statistical season was with the Cavaliers, but she had some good moments this past season with the Rebels, too.
Morgan played just one season at Kentucky after three at Georgia Tech, standing out in 2025-26 with her 7.9 assists average.
No. 6: Kiki Rice, UCLA, PG, 5-11
No. 22: Teonni Key, Kentucky, PF, 6-5
No. 26: Saffron Shiels, Australia, SG, 6-2
No. 36: Charlise Dunn, Davidson, SG, 6-1
Rice had her best college season as a senior and played her way into a higher draft slot than expected. She did everything better this season, averaging 14.9 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc and 90.2% from the free throw line. She wants the ball in her hands to make the right play in crunch time.
Key has potential with her size, but she will need to improve offensively. Shiels and Dunn are big shooting guards from Australia, so Tempo coach Sandy Brondello, the longtime Australian national team coach, knows their ability well.
No. 29: Janiah Barker, Tennessee, PF, 6-4
No. 44: Jordan Obi, Kentucky, SG, 6-1
Without much draft capital — late picks in the second and third rounds — not a lot expected was expected from the Aces. Barker has talent, averaging a career-best 14.3 points this season for the Lady Vols, her third school, having previously played at Texas A&M and UCLA. Obi spent three seasons at Penn, was out injured in 2024-25, then played her last season with Kentucky, averaging 9.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.
No. 7: Iyana Martin, Spain, PG, 5-9
No. 17: Frieda Buhner, Germany, PF, 6-1
No. 33: Serah Williams, UConn, C, 6-4
Portland has a plan, even though it might not be the most exciting one for the new franchise’s fans. Martin is a promising young European guard, but she won’t make her WNBA debut until 2027. Buhner is another European player most American fans probably aren’t familiar with, but she has international experience, too. Williams’ stats in her one season at UConn — 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds — didn’t stand out the way her numbers in three seasons at Wisconsin did. But there’s enormous difference in playing for the perennially contending Huskies, and that experience should help her in the WNBA if she can make a roster.
No. 16: Marta Suarez, TCU, SF, 6-3
No. 23: Ashlon Jackson, Duke, SG, 6-0
No. 38: Kokoro Tanaka, Japan, SG, 5-8
This could all turn out OK for the Valkyries. Suarez, who played two seasons at Tennessee and two at Cal, had her best season in finishing her college career at TCU. She averaged 17.1 points and 7.4 rebounds, and is another big player who can shoot 3s (84 this past season). Jackson hit the most dramatic shot of the NCAA tournament: a buzzer-beater that eliminated LSU in the Sweet 16. She is a disruptive defensive player, although she had a stronger season as a scorer her junior year. Tanaka is a promising young guard who has played on the Japanese national team.
But the Valkyries’ low grade is in large part to how they handled draft night and the questions about it. Taking a popular player like Flau’jae Johnson with the No. 8 pick, then trading her for No. 16 pick Suarez with little explanation initially made it seem as if Golden State wasn’t as sure of what it was doing as perhaps it was. Eventually, the Valkyries spoke to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews and gave a better explanation of what happened — the teams agreed upon the trade before the draft picks were submitted — but some damage already had been done.
No. 27: Ines Pitarch-Granel, France, SF, 6-0
No. 42: Eszter Ratkai, Hungary, SG, 5-9
Like Las Vegas and New York, the Mercury didn’t have much to gain in this draft. Phoenix went for potential with two 19-year-old Europeans, and it could pay off. But it’s hard to tell now. Pitarch-Granel is averaging 5.3 points for her French club team. Ratkai is averaging 8.5 points for her Hungarian club.
No. 41: Manuela Puoch, Australia, SF, 6-1
The Liberty look solid with the team they have put together for 2026. With only one draft pick late in the third round, there was little expected impact and not much to grade Monday. Puoch is the younger sister of Nyadiew Puoch, who was drafted No. 12 in 2024 by Atlanta but hasn’t played in the WNBA yet. Nyadiew was picked by Portland in the expansion draft earlier this month.
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