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Michael Voppel
While the WNBA’s labor negotiations continue, some league business is continuing. The 2026 Draft Lottery will be held Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
All but one of the league’s five head coaching vacancies have been filled: the New York Liberty. The Dallas Wings, who have the highest chance (44%) of getting the No. 1 pick, have hired Long south florida Coach Jose Fernandez in late October.
Their USF program had extensive recruiting contacts in Europe — 12 of the 14 players on the Bulls’ roster for 2024-25 were from outside the United States — and we’ve also tilted our projected top pick in ESPN’s latest WNBA mock draft in the same direction. Spain’s center Ava Fam has reached number 1 in this edition. We’ll update the mock draft again on Sunday night after the lottery establishes its top-five order.
One of the other most notable changes: No. 3 to four players UCLA Now selection is expected in the first round.
Spain center | 6 foot 4
Pham’s agent told ESPN that competing in the WNBA for 2026 is her “top priority.” She currently plays for Valencia in Spain and will turn 20 in June. His potential seems immense, and he could be another important building block for the Wings after the 2025 No. 1 pick. Paige Bueckers Was WNBA Rookie of the Year last season.
UCLA center , 6-foot-7 , senior
Bates is still in the mix as the No. 1 pick, which is where we included him in our first 2026 mock draft last month. A first-team All-American last season, he is currently averaging 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks while shooting 59.6% from the field for the No. 3 Bruins.
TCU Point Guard 5-foot-10 senior
Miles, a transfer from Notre Dame who is playing her final college season at TCU, has been just what the No. 10 Horned Frogs needed. He is averaging 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists and appears to be the top point guard pick among college seniors.
Yukon Shooting Guard 5-foot-11 senior
Last season, Fudd averaged 13.6 points and shot 43.6% from beyond the arc for the national champions. This season for the No. 1 Huskies, he is averaging 17.8 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 45.2% from 3-point range. With her elite shooting, Fudd could have gone even higher.
LSU Shooting Guard 5-foot-10 senior
The guard-heavy Tigers will showcase Johnson’s ability to run the court this season. He is averaging 17.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists for No. 5 LSU. The Tigers’ soft non-conference schedule hasn’t challenged him, but Johnson has already proven himself in three years of SEC play.
South Carolina Shooting Guard 5-foot-8 , senior
The WNBA has not stated what order the two expansion teams will choose; At the moment we have Tempo here and Portland Fire at number 7. Latson led Division I in scoring with 25.2 ppg last season with Florida State. Now with No. 2 South Carolina in a more balanced attack, he is averaging 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Her 44.4% shooting from 3-point range is from too small a sample size (4-9) to assess this yet, but if she keeps that up it will be a huge step forward.
ole miss small forward 6 feet senior
After three years at Ohio State, where he had a career-high 16.5 ppg last season, he is now with the No. 13 Rebels and is averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. McMahon can help himself by showing defensive improvement and Ole Miss is a good place to do that.
UCLA | Shooting Guard 5-foot-11 senior
Neepkens’ biggest skill is playing defense with his 3-point shooting. He’s currently at a career-low 34.5% from beyond the arc, but his history (playing at Utah before) suggests that will go up. He averaged 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
UConn | power forward 6-foot-4 senior
Williams went from being a star on a 13-17 team (19.2 ppg and 9.8 rpg for Wisconsin last season) to finishing her career with the talent-rich No. 1 Huskies. Her stats will drop, but her draft stock will rise with a program that regularly puts players into the WNBA. He averaged 8.8 points and 4.0 rebounds for UConn.
South Carolina center | 6-foot-6 senior
Okot, who is from Kenya, transferred to spend her final season with the Gamecocks, and has fit in well. He leads South Carolina in rebounding (10.6) and blocks (2.0) while averaging 13.2 points. She’s more of a traditional center, but there’s still room for those players in the WNBA, especially if they defend well.
UCLA | Shooting Guard 6 feet senior
Jacquez has had a strong start for the Bruins, averaging a team-high 15.6 points plus 7.8 rebounds (tied with Betts for the team lead) and 2.4 assists while shooting 47.4% from beyond the arc. Jacquez became a full-time starter for UCLA last season and if she continues her 3-point shooting improvement that should help her draft status.
Spain Point Guard 5-foot-8
In April, he was named Young Player of the Year for his first EuroLeague season with Perfumerias Avenida. Pham’s teammate on the Spanish national team, Martín Carrion, also helped that team advance to the EuroBasket championship game this summer. She will turn 20 in January.
tennessee power forward 6-foot-4 senior
Barker previously played for Texas A&M and UCLA and will finish her college career at No. 15 Tennessee. Her skill set for her size has long been of interest to WNBA evaluators, but she’ll need to show consistency this season. She is averaging 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Lady Vols.
14. Seattle Storm: kiki rice
UCLA | Point Guard 5-foot-11 senior
As good as the Bruins were last season in reaching the Final Four, they could be even better this season. Rice averaged 13.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Some improvement in 3-point shooting – he’s currently at 30.8% – would help. Last season, he shot a career-best 36.5% from beyond the arc.
15. Connecticut Sun: Nell Anglema
France small forward 5-foot-11
France Sun coach Rachid Meziane is, of course, familiar with Angloma, who plays for Basket Lats Montpellier Agglomeration (BMLA). Angloma averaged 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds for France at the U19 Women’s World Cup this summer. She will turn 20 in June.
