2026 WNBA draft

Last updated

2026 WNBA Draft
General information
Sport Basketball
DateApril 13, 2026
NetworkU.S.: ESPN
Overview
45 total selections in 3 rounds
League Women's National Basketball Association
Teams15
Expansion team Portland Fire
Toronto Tempo
←  2025
2027  →

The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)'s draft for the 2026 season will be held following the 2025-26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. This will be the first draft for the league's two newest expansion teams: the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo.

Contents

Draft lottery

In November 2025, the WNBA announced that the 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery would be held on November 23, 2025. [1] [2] The lottery decided the order of the first 5 picks in the 2026 WNBA draft and was televised on ESPN in the United States. [1] The five teams that did not qualify for 2025 WNBA playoffs participated in this draft lottery.

Lottery chances

The lottery chances were based on the combined record from the 2024 and 2025 WNBA seasons. In the drawing, 14 balls numbered 1-14 were placed in a lottery machine and mixed. Four balls were drawn to determine a four-digit combination. The team assigned that four-ball combination received the No. 1 pick. The four balls were then be placed back into the machine and the process was repeated to determine the second pick. Of the three teams not selected in the drawings, the team with the worst cumulative two-year record was selected third; the team with the next worst record selected fourth; and the remaining team, fifth. [1]

A representative from the league's independent accounting firm, Ernst & Young, was in attendance to oversee the draft lottery process. [1]

Note: The team selected for the No. 1 pick in the lottery is noted below in bold text.

TeamCombined 2024–25 recordLottery chancesResult
Dallas Wings 19–6542.0%1st pick
Minnesota Lynx (from Chicago Sky) [a] 23–6126.1%2nd pick
Seattle Storm (from Los Angeles Sparks) [b] 29–5516.7%3rd pick
Washington Mystics 30–549.7%4th pick
Chicago Sky (from Connecticut Sun) [c] 39–455.5%5th pick
Notes
  1. ↑ April 13, 2025: Chicago to Minnesota [3] [4]
    • Minnesota acquired the outright 2026 first-round draft pick, and extinguished the previous right to exchange 2026 first-round draft picks with Chicago
    • Chicago acquired the 2025 No. 11 draft pick (Hailey Van Lith)
  2. ↑ January 31, 2024: Seattle to Los Angeles [5]
    • Los Angeles acquired Kia Nurse and a 2024 first-round pick (Rickea Jackson)
    • Seattle acquired a 2026 first-round pick
  3. ↑ July 17, 2024: Connecticut to Chicago [6]

Draft

#Denotes player who never played in the WNBA regular season or playoffs
BoldDenotes player who won Rookie of the Year

First round

2026 first round WNBA draft picks
PickPlayerNationalityTeamSchool / club team
1 TBD Dallas Wings
2TBD Minnesota Lynx (from Chicago) [a]
3TBD Seattle Storm (from Los Angeles) [b]
4TBD Washington Mystics
5TBDChicago Sky (from Connecticut) [c]
TBDTBD Portland Fire
TBDTBD Toronto Tempo
8TBD Golden State Valkyries
9TBDWashington Mystics (from Seattle) [d]
10TBD Indiana Fever
11TBDWashington Mystics (from New York via Minnesota and Connecticut) [e] [f] [g]
12TBD Connecticut Sun (from Phoenix via Chicago) [h] [c]
13TBD Atlanta Dream
14TBDSeattle Storm (from Las Vegas) [i]
15TBDConnecticut Sun (from Minnesota via Washington) [f] [g]

Second round

2026 second round WNBA draft picks
PickPlayerNationalityTeamSchool / club team
16TBD Seattle Storm (from Dallas) [j]
17TBD Chicago Sky
18TBD Connecticut Sun
19TBD Washington Mystics
20TBD Los Angeles Sparks
TBDTBD Toronto Tempo
TBDTBD Portland Fire
23TBD Golden State Valkyries
24TBDLos Angeles Sparks (from Seattle) [i]
25TBD Indiana Fever
26TBDChicago Sky (from New York) [k]
27TBD Phoenix Mercury
28TBD Atlanta Dream
29TBD Las Vegas Aces
30TBDWashington Mystics (from Minnesota) [l]

Third round

2026 third round WNBA draft picks
PickPlayerNationalityTeamSchool / club team
31TBD Dallas Wings
32TBD Chicago Sky
33TBD Connecticut Sun
34TBD Washington Mystics
35TBD Los Angeles Sparks
TBDTBD Toronto Tempo
TBDTBD Portland Fire
38TBD Golden State Valkyries
39TBD Seattle Storm
40TBD Indiana Fever
41TBD New York Liberty
42TBD Phoenix Mercury
43TBD Atlanta Dream
44TBD Las Vegas Aces
45TBD Minnesota Lynx

Footnotes

  1. ↑ April 13, 2025: Chicago to Minnesota [3] [4]
    • Minnesota acquired the outright 2026 first-round draft pick, and extinguished the previous right to exchange 2026 first-round draft picks with Chicago
    • Chicago acquired the 2025 No. 11 draft pick (Hailey Van Lith)
  2. ↑ January 31, 2024: Seattle to Los Angeles [5]
    • Los Angeles acquired Kia Nurse and a 2024 first-round pick (Rickea Jackson)
    • Seattle acquired a 2026 first-round pick
  3. 1 2 July 17, 2024: Connecticut to Chicago [6]
  4. ↑ August 5, 2025: Seattle to Washington [7]
  5. ↑ March 16, 2025: New York to Connecticut [8]
  6. 1 2 April 14, 2025: Minnesota to Washington [9]
    • Washington acquired 2026 first round pick (Minnesota's own)
    • Minnesota acquired Karlie Samuelson
  7. 1 2 August 7, 2025: Connecticut to Washington [10] [11]
    • Washington acquired Jacy Sheldon, and the right to swap 2026 first round picks (Washington with Minnesota's own and Connecticut with New York's own acquired from prior trades)
    • Connecticut acquired Aaliyah Edwards
  8. ↑ February 6, 2024: Phoenix to Chicago [12]
  9. 1 2 February 1, 2025: Three-team trade among Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Seattle [13] [14] [15]
    • Las Vegas acquired Jewell Loyd (from Seattle) and a 2025 second-round pick (Aaliyah Nye, from Los Angeles)
    • Los Angeles acquired Kelsey Plum (from Las Vegas), a 2025 first-round (Sarah Ashlee Barker) and a 2026 second-round pick (from Seattle)
    • Seattle acquired the rights to Li Yueru and a 2025 first-round pick (Dominique Malonga, from Los Angeles), and a 2026 first-round pick (from Las Vegas)
  10. ↑ June 14, 2025: Dallas to Seattle [16] [17]
    • Dallas acquired Li Yueru
    • Seattle acquired 2026 second round draft pick (with right to swap with the Connecticut Sun) and 2027 third round pick (with right to swap with the Indiana Fever)
  11. ↑ March 14, 2024: New York to Chicago [18]
    • New York acquired Rebekah Gardner
    • Chicago acquired 2025 and 2026 second-round picks
  12. ↑ August 20, 2024: Minnesota to Washington [19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "WNBA Draft Lottery 2026 To Take Place Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPN". WNBA.com. November 7, 2025. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  2. ↑ Andrews, Kendra (November 7, 2025). "WNBA draft lottery to take place Nov. 23". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Chicago Sky Acquire 2025 No. 11 Overall Draft Pick From Minnesota". Chicago Sky . WNBA. April 13, 2025. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Sky swap 2024 WNBA draft picks, prospects with Lynx in trade". ESPN . Field Level Media. April 14, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2025.
  5. 1 2 "Sparks Acquire WNBA All-Star Guard Kia Nurse". WNBA.com. January 31, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  6. 1 2 "Sun acquire guard Marina Mabrey in trade with Sky". ESPN . July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Washington Mystics Acquire Seattle Storm's 2026 First Round Pick And Three-Time WNBA Champion Alysha Clark". Washington Mystics . August 5, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  8. ↑ "New York Liberty Acquire Natasha Cloud From Connecticut Sun". New York Liberty . WNBA. March 16, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Mystics Acquire 2026 First-Round Pick". Washington Mystics . WNBA. April 14, 2025. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Connecticut Sun Acquire Aaliyah Edwards". Connecticut Sun . August 7, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Washington Acquires Jacy Sheldon". Washington Mystics . August 7, 2025. Retrieved August 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Phoenix Mercury Acquires All-Star and WNBA Champion Kahleah Copper and Forward Morgan Bertsch in Trade With Chicago Sky". WNBA.com. February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Las Vegas Aces Welcome Two-Time WNBA Champion Jewell Loyd in Three-Team Trade". Las Vegas Aces . WNBA. February 1, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Sparks Acquire Three-Time All-Star Kelsey Plum". WNBA. February 2, 2025. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Storm Acquire No. 2 Pick in the 2025 Draft, Rights to Li Yueru and 2026 First Round Pick". Seattle Storm . WNBA. February 1, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Dallas Wings Trade For Li Yueru". Dallas Wings . June 14, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Storm Acquire Second and Third-Round Draft Picks in Exchange for Yueru". Seattle Storm . June 14, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  18. ↑ Costabile, Annie (March 14, 2024). "Sky acquire two future second-round draft picks from Liberty for rights to Rebekah Gardner". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Lynx acquire forward Myisha Hines-Allen from Mystics". ESPN . Field Level Media. August 20, 2024. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
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