Making the Case: 2026 WNBA Draft

A list of players I would consider for the Storm's first 3 draft picks.

On Monday, April 13th, the WNBA Draft takes place in New York at 4:00 PM PT. The Seattle Storm have three picks in the first 16 selections as they look to rebuild the team around a more youthful core of Ezi Magbegor, Jordan Horston, and Dominique Malonga. The team enters a new era of Storm basketball after moving on from veterans Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins, and Gabby Williams.

Below, I’ve highlighted eight players that the Storm should consider drafting. Four players are targeted for the #3 overall pick, and four more for their next two picks at #14 and #16.

For Pick #3

Olivia Miles - Point Guard - TCU

2025-2026 Stats: 19.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 6.6 APG, 48.1% FG
Career Stats: 15.6 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 6.5 APG, 47.2% FG

If the Storm had the #1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, I am pretty certain they would draft Olivia Miles. While it might get a little murky with the coaching change in Seattle, I know the franchise has been very high on the former Notre Dame turned TCU product. Miles is an elite playmaker and one of the best passing prospects the WNBA has ever seen. Simply put, she is a wizard with the ball in her hands.

Not only is Miles one of the top prospects of this draft, but she feels like a natural fit in Seattle, after they selected 6’6” Center Dominique Malonga one year ago. With the Storm and Skylar Diggins moving in different directions, Seattle needs to address their future at the point guard position. Natisha Hiedeman is a solid addition to help with that, but I believe the Storm will still look to address this in the draft.

Miles has improved her shooting, where she shot 35% and 41% from beyond the arc over her final two years in college. She can get downhill and attack the rim. I’ve seen other reports question her athleticism, but I don’t really see that being a major issue for her. Olivia is a strong rebounder, and that does make her a triple-double threat in any game.

Her biggest weakness is on the defensive end. She is a sub-par defender at best. However, some of the offensive skills, especially the passing, are so high that it is worth the downside on the other end. Joining a team like Seattle that has Jordan Horston, Ezi Magbegor, and Dominique Malonga, who could make up for her deficiencies on the defensive end, would help her.

Azzi Fudd - Shooting Guard - UConn

2025-2026 Stats: 17.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 3.1 APG, 48.1% FG
Career Stats: 14.7 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 46.9% FG

Dubbed “The People’s Princess”, Azzi Fudd is likely to go within the Top 3 selections. After the Dallas Wings were extra aggressive in Free Agency, landing Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard, and bringing back Awak Kuier after she had skipped the past two WNBA seasons, there is a high probability that the Wings will select Azzi Fudd with the first overall pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft.

Fudd is one of the most elite shooters we’ve seen from college basketball in quite some time. Fudd has shot 43% or better from beyond the arc in three of her five seasons in college. And one of the two that she didn’t, she only played in two games due to injury, so it’s hard to count that year. Azzi’s deadly outside shooting was a huge reason UConn finally won another National Championship in 2025 (2024-25 season).

Azzi is a fascinating prospect because I don’t believe she has true #1 overall value. And yet, I think she’d be an excellent pick for the Storm with the third pick. Fudd would be a great fit in Seattle because she’ll help stretch the floor. Seattle’s two best players are post players Dominique Malonga and Ezi Magbegor. Fudd would keep defenses honest. She would help prevent opposing defenses from double or triple-teaming Malonga down in the low post.

The concern with Azzi is that she is not a strong ball handler or dynamic creator with the ball in her hand. She doesn’t beat her defender off the dribble. She draws fouls at a near-historically low rate. She is a strong defender, however.

This may sound like sacrilege, but I see Fudd as being a traditional 3 and D type player. She can play defense, and she can knock down three-pointers, but I’m not positive she’s going to give her team a lot more than that. She could end up with a career similar to players like Lexie Hull, Sami Whitcomb, Sophie Cunningham, or Alysha Clark. All quality WNBA players, but not exactly who you would expect to go #1 overall.

Fudd could end up in Seattle if the Wings and the Lynx both opt for post players (Fam, Betts), or Dallas selects one and Minnesota takes Olivia Miles.

Kiki Rice - Point Guard - UCLA

2025-2026 Stats: 14.9 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 4.3 APG, 49% FG
Career Stats: 13.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 4.2 APG, 45.8% FG

Sometimes you just have a gut feeling, and Kiki Rice is someone I have been zeroing in on lately. I consider the Storm’s “worst-case scenario” to be if the Dallas Wings take Azzi Fudd and the Minnesota Lynx draft Olivia Miles. That would leave the Storm with either of the top post prospects (Awa Fam or Lauren Betts) or one of the top remaining guards/wings (Kiki Rice or Flau’jae Johnson).

Fortunately for Seattle, if that is the “worst-case scenario,” then they’re still going to have a very successful draft night. While opinions seem to differ, I feel there are legitimately six quality players in this draft that should be at a minimum WNBA starters, with most of them having at least possible All-Star potential. Even if Fudd and Miles are off the board when the Storm select third, there will still be both quality guards and posts to choose from.

Rice is an interesting prospect to me because I think she does a lot of things really well, even if she isn’t elite at any of them. She may not dazzle with her passes like Miles or knock down three-pointer after three-pointer like Fudd, but she is a very good basketball player. She’s a better defender than Miles by a wide margin, and she attacks the rim significantly more than Fudd. She might just be a more complete player than either of them.

Kiki reminds me a lot of Veronica Burton. She might not be the flashiest player out there, but there is a lot of good you can see. After her impressive season in Golden State, I look at Burton as one of the league’s best young point guards. I think Kiki has that potential too.

She played well paired with 6’7” Lauren Betts at UCLA, and I’m sure it would be a natural fit to pair her with 6’6” Dominique Malonga in Seattle.

Awa Fam - PF/C - Spain

2025-2026 Stats (Spain-LF Endesa): 9.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.4 APG, 55% FG
2025-2026 Stats (Euroleague): 7.0 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 53% FG

Outside of possibly Flau’jae Johnson, Awa Fam is the only other player I could see the Storm drafting with the third overall pick. Of course, Lauren Betts could be an option, but I have a more difficult time seeing that since the team already has Malonga, and there will be several other options on the board.

Now that the Storm’s front office has re-signed Ezi Magbegor to a three-year deal (per Her Hoop Stats), I feel it’s less likely than Seattle would draft Fam. But there is a scenario where Fam is on the board when the Storm are on the clock, and they truly believe she is too talented and has too much upside to pass up. Even if they already have both Magbegor and Dominique Malonga.

I suppose it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Storm could run a lineup of Awa Fam, Ezi Magbegor, and Dominique Malonga as the 3, 4, 5, and paired with Natisha Hiedeman and Jordan Horston in the backcourt. The New York Liberty just signed Satou Sabally (6’4”) to play with Breanna Stewart (6’4”) and Jonquel Jones (6’6”).

Most draft analysts believe that Awa Fam has the highest upside in this draft class because she has the size, skill, and speed of the best modern bigs. Players like Candace Parker and those who came after her, like Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Ezi Magbegor, Dominique Malonga, etc.

If they draft Fam, it means either she was always their #1 choice or that her delta compared to the next best available player was so wide that positional need wouldn’t play a factor.

I also wouldn’t rule out a trade scenario that I had suggested previously. If Miles and Fudd are gone, Talisa could call up the Washington Mystics and see if they’d be willing to trade for Fam and pick #14 or 16 for the 4th overall pick and either pick #9 or #11.

For Picks #14 and #16

This draft is interesting in that it doesn’t have the major superstars like Paige Bueckers, Dominique Malonga, Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, Aliyah Boston, etc. But I do feel the depth is pretty solid. I honestly do believe the Storm should be able to get at least one, if not two, solid contributors with Picks 14 and 16. There are two players at the top of my mind. Two players that I would consider Top 10 talent, but for one reason or another have often been projected as late first-round or even early second-round picks in most of the mock drafts I’ve seen over the past couple of months. Those two players are Janiah Barker and Cotie McMahon.

Those two players may have had some struggles in college. And there may be reasons, basketball or otherwise, why they could fall during Monday’s draft. But if one or both of them are available for Seattle at the end of the first round, the Storm should absolutely draft them. Both Barker and McMahon have WNBA size and athleticism.

I don’t know why several teams passed on Jordan Horston during the 2023 WNBA Draft. There is zero reason why she should have fallen to Seattle, which wasn’t drafting until the 9th pick in the draft, and yet she did. In retrospect, one could argue that Horston should have been selected 2nd overall, only behind Aliyah Boston.

If the same thing happens on Monday, the Storm need to capitalize on others’ mistakes.

With the way Free Agency has played out this week and the Storm’s veteran core of Nneka, Skylar, and Gabby all leaving, the team really needs to hit on the draft. Ideally, Seattle will end up with either two starters or one starter with All-Star potential and another quality role player/reserve.

Janiah Barker - Power Forward - Tennessee

2025-2026 Stats: 14.3 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 46.5% FG
Career Stats: 11.2 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 46.8% FG

Janiah Barker might arguably be the most talented player that realistically could be on the board for the Storm at the end of the first round. She’s 6’4”, can handle the ball well, attack the rim, and shot 37% from beyond the arc on nearly four attempts per game. When we talk about Awa Fam being the new prototype for elite bigs in the WNBA, Barker also falls into that category because of her size, athleticism, and skillset.

Like all prospects, there are concerns. During her college career, she transferred twice and played at three separate schools. She was also temporarily suspended during this season due to conduct detrimental to the team. Her stats are also not as impressive as her skillset. For one reason or another, she’s never fully put it together over four years in college to truly reach her potential. But Barker is definitely a player that I could see becoming a better pro than she was a player in college.

The Storm should swing big if they have the opportunity to do so. If they believe in their new head coach and the team’s culture, they shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to draft a player with Top 10, maybe even Top 8 potential if she is still there at Pick 14.

Barker could play a big role off the bench for the Storm in Year 1.

Cotie McMahon - Shooting Guard - Ole Miss

2025-2026 Stats: 19.5 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 3.0 APG, 45.1% FG
Career Stats: 16.4 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.4 APG, 46.5% FG

From the first time I watched Cotie McMahon play basketball in person, I was enthralled. I was even more impressed when I learned that she was just a freshman at the time. At 19 years old, Cotie McMahon already had WNBA size, strength, and athleticism. She stood out significantly compared to other collegiate athletes. I would have thought for certain that she would eventually end up a lottery pick during her draft year. And while that is still possible, McMahon has consistently been projected to drop to the end of the first round, or possibly even into the second round.

I have serious doubts that this will actually happen. I think the physical tools might be too good to keep her out of the Top 10. But if, for whatever reason, she does drop to the Storm at 14, I would hope Seattle would snatch her up in a heartbeat.

McMahon can muscle her way past smaller/weaker defenders. She’s good at the midrange, but still needs to improve her three-point shooting. Cotie is sub-30% for her career, and only shot above that in one of her four seasons in college.

If the Storm managed to come out of the 2026 WNBA Draft with Olivia Miles or Azzi Fudd and Cotie McMahon, I would consider it a Home Run for the organization.

Madina Okot - Center - South Carolina

2025-2026 Stats: 12.8 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.0 APG, 57.5% FG
Career Stats: 12.1 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 0.9 APG, 60.6% FG

I think it’s going to be very interesting to see where Madina Okot lands on draft night. Coach Dawn Staley was hoping to get her one more year of college eligibility because Okot had only played two years of American college basketball despite being classified as a senior. Before that, she had played two seasons with Zetech University in Kenya.

Okot was a Kenyan volleyball star turned basketball player. She only started playing basketball around five years ago. She still has a tremendous amount of room to grow. If she had been granted another season of college eligibility, I would not have been surprised if she ended up being a lottery selection in 2027. With that said, I could still see her being selected in the Top 8 this year.

At 6’6”, Okot can provide a big body down low. But she’s shown that she is capable of knocking down the three-point shot as well. That’s still on a small sample size, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see her continue to develop that part of her game over the next few years.

Okot is definitely a project. That’s why I believe it’s possible she could still be available at the end of the first round. There are going to be certain teams that are looking for a player who can come in and contribute right away in Year 1. If she falls to Seattle at 14, I think it might be tough to pass on her. And they’d be foolish to if she’s still around at Pick 16.

Angela Dugalić - Power Forward - UCLA

2025-2026 Stats: 9.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 2.2 APG, 50.2% FG
Career Stats: 7.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 43% FG

I was always so confused when I’d see certain mock drafts have Angela Dugalić projected to go in the late 2nd round (around picks 25-30). Whenever I watched her with UCLA, she was always making a positive impact. She’s 6’4”, she can post up, drive to the rim, and knock down the three-pointer.

One key test I wanted to see was how she’d perform against South Carolina, a team with several players who have WNBA size and athleticism, and one day will play in the league. She didn’t dominate, but she could hang with them. She scored nine points on 50% FG shooting, pulled down five rebounds, and had four assists in the National Championship game against the Gamecocks. I thought she looked significantly better against tougher competition than Marta Suarez.

I felt justified in my own priors when I saw that the WNBA selected her as one of 15 players who officially get invited to attend the WNBA Draft. That means that the league has heard from multiple General Managers that they believe she will be a first-round pick.

I’m not positive she will be selected in the first round. But if she’s not, I wouldn’t mind seeing the Storm select her with their 16th overall pick, especially if the other three players I’ve listed above are all gone at that point.

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