WNBA Media Answers Draft Questions - Part 1

I polled several WNBA media with questions about the upcoming WNBA Draft.

With the 2026 WNBA Draft roughly three weeks away (April 13th), I thought it would be fun to reach out to several other WNBA media members to get their opinions on several topics surrounding the draft. I wanted them to be able to express their thoughts as openly as possible so I told them all the responses would be anonymous. I gave them all the same nine questions that you will read below. I have also randomized the responses for each question.

I am grateful to all of those who participated and took the time out of their schedules to be a part of this. The turn out was so strong that I feel that there were enough answers to make this a two-part series. Part 2 should be coming out in another day or two.

Without further ado, here is WNBA Media answering my questions on the WNBA Draft.

WNBA Media Draft Questions

1. Who should the Dallas Wings draft #1 overall and why?

“Awa Fam. It may be tempting to take a "sure thing" in Azzi Fudd, but let's be honest: The Wings are a long way from playoff contention, and until proven otherwise, they aren't a popular destination for star free agents. They have to build around Paige Bueckers, and who better to pair her with than a high-upside center who is an elite pick-and-roll operator?”

“Awa Fam. One of the most dominant performers of all-time at the U19 level. One of the best center passing prospects of all-time, with tremendous court awareness. Really good interior scorer for her age, has a very nice bag already. Can put the ball on the floor or work off-ball, rim runs, and transition. Potential defensive versatility, but she still has a ways to go (and again, she's only 19). Mid-range shooting isn't there yet, but her mechanics look fine. I won't say she's a can't-miss All-Star, but if everything clicks for her, she'll be a transformative player for a franchise, and Dallas can't risk passing that up. No team can.”

“Awa Fam; She fills a more important need for the Wings with the post being the biggest issue last season. There might be a more familiar player for Paige to play with, but Fam fits the mold that pairs best with Paige’s game.”

“Awa Fam, getting a 19-year-old 6’4ish center to pair in the pick and roll/fade game with Paige is just too good to pass up. Her inside and outside scoring, coupled with just naturally good instincts of where to be on the floor. Dallas isn’t likely contending next year, so it gives them time for Fam to grow into the WNBA’s physicality while likely staying in the lottery for 2027.”

“Awa Fam. I think she's the best player available in terms of overall future potential, and compared to the other top names, it's harder to find an elite center than elite off-ball shooter (Azzi Fudd), and the Wings already have an elite point guard (Paige).”

“Awa Fam. Already very talented; not quite the freak athlete of Malonga but more polished at the same age; already experienced at a high level but also 4 years younger than Miles/Fudd, so still room and potential to improve significantly.”

2. What is the Minnesota Lynx’s biggest need? Which player do they draft?

“Hard to say, given most players in the league are free agents, but if we figure Minnesota returns at least most of its recent lineup, then it needs young talent with high upside the most. That's probably Fam and Miles more than anyone, but I could see arguments for Flau'jae Johnson or Lauren Betts.”

“#2 is still too high to draft for need, so should take Best Player Available, whoever that is in their eyes. 'Need' is very hard to judge for most teams this year, given free agency hasn't happened and we have no idea who's going where yet. Miles/Fudd/Fam all work and could likely find minutes. I don't expect Reeve to want Betts, having had so much recent success with a fluid, mobile team. Don't expect her to want the return of an interior big who forces you to play a certain way a lot of the time.”

“The ‘biggest need’ for any team in 2026 is reliant on what the team looks like with everyone a free agent, but if they return a semblance of last year's team, an upgrade over Bridget at the three seems like the most likely spot that could be potentially filled, and that lines up nicely with Azzi Fudd.”

“I'm not sure if they have a glaring need -- first-world basketball problems! Assuming they bring back most of their championship-caliber core from the past two seasons, I think they could find a role for any of Fam, Fudd, and Olivia Miles. A lot will depend upon who they lose in the expansion draft, though.”

“The Lynx needs more depth in the frontcourt. Assuming they retain all of their main pieces during free agency, a front-court player like Betts or Fam would provide size for a defensive-minded team. Collier is well in her prime, and Smith is a great defender, but they aren’t big enough to go against multiple players like Stewart or A’ja.”

3. What player is the best fit for the Seattle Storm?

“The Storm then naturally get the choice between Olivia Miles, Kiki Rice, or Flau’jae Johnson. For similar reasons to the Wings drafting Fam, the Storm should go Miles, pairing a promising guard with Dominique Malonga has the possibility to set them up for a decade, especially given Miles’ ability to work in the pick and roll at TCU.”

“That's a hard question to answer without knowing what rosters will look like. Nneka Ogwumike isn't going to play forever, but they do have Dominique Malonga as their center of the future, so they may be less inclined to take a swing on Fam than other lottery teams. I think a backcourt of Miles and Skylar Diggins (if she returns) would be a lot of fun right away, and long-term it would give them a young point guard to pair with their young center.”

“Again, heavily impacted by who comes back, or who comes in. With Malonga and her development to work on, it might be one place where Fam isn't a great fit. Fudd or Miles could both work and add needed creativity and shooting.”

“Olivia Miles is the best fit for the Storm. The direction Seattle goes in is up in the air with a new coach at the helm, so if the team doesn’t bring back Skylar or Nneka, Olivia is the best option if available. Even if those vets are back, Miles is still the best for the team’s future because of her scoring and play-making, but her ability to be pushed to perform at her best. Olivia’s decision to stay in college might’ve cost the Storm the chance to take her last season, but patience might pay off for both Miles and Seattle this April.”

“I think the Storm looking like they did in 2025 is less than a sure thing than the Lynx, so it really depends on who they have back. Rolling the dice on a high-ceiling guard seems like a pretty good idea, and Olivia Miles fits the bill. Gosh, this is all shaping up pretty well so far, isn't it?”

“With Seattle's long-term core being Dominique Malonga and Jordan Horston, I think any of Miles, Fudd, or Kiki Rice would fit perfectly.”

4. If Azzi Fudd and Olivia Miles are drafted in the Top 2 picks, who should the Storm select?

“I think they'd have to go with Fam. She may not make as immediate of an impact as Fudd or Miles (especially if the Storm can retain Ogwumike and/or Magbegor), but her ceiling is just too high to pass on.”

“I think the Storm go with Fam in that case and figure it out later. She and Malonga are both perfectly capable of playing next to another big, and if the fit isn't perfect, you keep developing them and trade one of them for better fits later.”

“If Fudd and Miles are both gone, I think KiKi Rice from UCLA fits in well, she’s dangerous in the midrange, great off the Lauren Betts pick and roll, and would fit in well with Malonga.”

“I would either pick Fam or look for a trading partner that can get me the best combination of two firsts I can get. But if you can't find that, just take Awa. You can make a deal later. The fall-off after number three is significant.”

“I would probably take Fam because the value is still so high, and try to develop her and Malonga together (especially if Magbegor is gone, as definitely seems possible), but you could believe any of the perimeter athletes if they don't want to develop two young foreign bigs at the same time.”

“Awa Fam is the player to go with here. Yeah, she’d play in a crowded frontcourt with Dominique Malonga and possibly Ezi Magbegor, but this front office typically takes the best player available, and does quite well in that scenario. So I think the Storm will and should go with Awa Fam and develop one of the best future front courts in the WNBA.”

5. In what order will UCLA’s starting 5 be drafted?

“Betts, Kneepkens, Rice, Jaquez, Leger-Walker”

“Betts, Rice, Jaquez, Kneepkens, Leger-Walker”

“1)Rice, 2)Betts, 3) Jaquez, 4)Kneepkens, 5) Leger-Walker”

“Let's do the top six, because all of them are getting drafted. My guess is Betts, Rice, Jaquez, Kneepkens, Dugalic, Leger-Walker. Hey, how many times have six players from a team been drafted? That's crazy. I personally would draft Kiki ahead of Lauren.”

“Rice, Betts, Jaquez, Kneepkens, Leger-Walker”

“Lauren Betts, Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez, Gianna Kneepkens, Charlisse Leger-Walker.”

6. Predict the biggest shock of the draft.

“Betts falls out of the lottery.”

“Either the Portland Fire or Toronto Tempo trade for Angel Reese.”

“I think Betts falls out of the top 5 and Portland trades the pick for a vet star.”

“Janiah Barker falls to the end of the second round. It feels like we've been waiting for her to break out, and she just never has. She's incredibly talented and has all the physical tools to be a valuable WNBA player, but at some point, the production needs to match the hype. The fact that she hasn't been able to make it work at three different power conference schools worries me, and I don't think I'm the only one.”

“I would not be surprised to see a pick past the number three traded or some first-rounders not make it out of camp. I'm not super high on this draft. It's not 2021 all over again, but I think there will be a lot of competition from an increased interest from overseas players given the new salary structure, and it wouldn't surprise me to see this particular group of draftees face some intense competition for spots.”

“One of those many wings/scoring guards (the UCLA ones, Flau'jae, Angloma, McMahon, Latson, etc.) tumbles down for no obvious reason, and ends up in a better spot to actually get to play by going early second-round than mid-to-late first.”

7. Who is your favorite International prospect after Awa Fam, and why?

“Nell Angloma. She's just so strong and dynamic in transition. The jumpshot still needs work but seeing someone physically dominate one of the stronger European leagues at 19 years old is a big green flag for me.”

“Iyana Martin, 2023 U19 World Cup MVP, former young player of the year in Euro. 3-1 assist to turnover ratio, good enough shooter, plays hard and has the individual hardwear to at least suggest she will excel at any level.”

“Sort of cheating, but Marta Suarez from Spain who plays for TCU because of who she’s become for the Horned Frogs. Coming from Cal and Tennessee, she’s grown into an X-Factor for TCU. She’s converted on more attempts from the field, especially from downtown. Her scoring has been big for the Horned Frogs, but defense has been elite. After averaging no more than 1 steal per game her first three seasons of college, but now she’s averaging 1.4 per game this year.”

“Iyana Martin. Just a smart, strong, solid guard who can do a bit of everything and every time she steps up a level she proves she's good enough to be there. And she's barely 20. Honorable mention for both Frieda Buhner and Kokoro Tanaka, who might both be tweeners for now at WNBA level (Buhner at 3/4, Tanaka at 1/2), but are fun talents.”

“Nell Angloma or Iyana Martin. Both still very raw, but there's a lot to like.”

“Nell Angloma, BLMA wing. She's an excellent athlete with great finishing touch, a decent spot-up three and real defensive potential on the ball. I do have major concerns with her game, but there's no other international prospect past Fam who has starting upside in the W.”

8. What player could you see being a steal in the 2nd round?

“I could see Charlisse Leger-Walker or Shay Ciezki going in the second round but ending up as top-15 players from the class.”

“I think someone is going to take a chance on Amaya Battle, and I think she will capitalize on it, she might not get minutes this year, or next year, but she’s the type of person I could see three years from now playing rotation minutes on a playoff team. Incredible rebounding guard that plays well on defense and can hit down open shots. There’s a path for her as long as she gets a chance.”

“Angela Dugalic is probably going in the second round, and I like her a bit more than that. 6'4", glue game, good passer, can shoot threes.”

“Charlisse Leger-Walker. Her scoring is what she’s known for, but her playmaking is what separates her. She has shown that she can overcome anything the way she’s come back from an ACL tear, and if she stayed at WSU, she’d be a first round pick. But I think because of the team around her at UCLA, it’s somehow lowering her draft stock. She’d be a steal in the upcoming draft no matter where she played.”

“Lani White (Utah). She's definitely a late bloomer in terms of year-by-year production but I don't think you can get very far down the list of the best shooters in this class before her name pops up. A 6-foot-0 guard who shoots better than 40% from long range, yes please!”

9. List the Top 3 players from this draft in order based on highest upside/potential.

“1. Awa Fam, 2. Azzi Fudd, 3. Olivia Miles”

“Fam, Miles, Flau'jae Johnson”

“1-Fam, 2-Miles, 3-Fudd”

“Miles, Fam, Fudd.”

“Awa Fam, Olivia Miles, Flau'jae Johnson”

“Fam, Miles, Betts. Whether I would bet on Lauren to be an efficient offensive scorer is another question, but if she is, she'll be very good.”

Notes:
Once again, thanks to all the other WNBA Media members that participated.

Thanks to my readers for the great support! Please tell other WNBA fans about my coverage. Please share, retweet, repost, etc., if you enjoy my articles.

Thanks to Her Hoop Stats and Across the Timeline for being great resources.

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