Wings Dominate: Again No.1 in the WNBA Draft! Paige Bueckers and the future.

Dallas Wings Secure #1 WNBA Draft Pick for Second Consecutive Year

For the second consecutive year, the Dallas Wings secure the first pick in the WNBA draft. This achievement, obtained after winning the 2026 draft lottery last Sunday, April 13th, marks a milestone for the franchise. The Wings, who selected UConn’s Paige Bueckers in 2025, become the fourth franchise to obtain the first overall pick in consecutive seasons. The lottery odds were based on the accumulated records of the last two regular seasons of the WNBA for the five teams that did not make the playoffs in 2025. Strategic moves by the Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm also influenced the lottery. With a cumulative record of 19-65, the Wings had the best odds of getting the first pick, with a 42%, and secured at least a top-three selection.

We want someone who wants to win. We have a young and exciting group and we really bond. I’m excited to bring in someone else.

Maddy Siegrist, Dallas Lottery Representative.

Paige Bueckers, who won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award and was named to the All-WNBA second team, failed to lead the Wings to the postseason again, finishing the 2025 season with the worst record in the league (10-34). In the last five years, only the Indiana Fever have had more lottery picks than the Wings. Bueckers and Siegrist (No. 3 in 2023) were the only lottery picks who played for Dallas last season. This year’s draft lottery was the first to feature five teams since 2010. The Lynx, with the second-best odds, will select second. The Storm will pick third, followed by the Washington Mystics at number 4 and the Chicago Sky at number 5.

We are very excited. I think being in the top three, especially in this draft, will give us a great player. We are definitely happy to have gotten there. I think there are a handful of great players who will be able to impact teams immediately, which isn’t always the case. I think there is good depth and good top-level talent in this draft. At the 3rd position, I really think we will get someone who will help us immediately.

Talisa Rhea, Storm general manager.

In the last mock draft, Awa Fam from Spain is projected to be number 1, followed by Lauren Betts from UCLA. Olivia Miles from TCU, Azzi Fudd from UConn, and Flau’jae Johnson from LSU complete the rest of the projected lottery picks. While most of the league’s templates are currently made up of free agents, the Wings have five players under contract, including Bueckers, Siegrist, Diamond Miller, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly. Arike Ogunbowale, Li Yueru, Myisha Hines-Allen, and Tyasha Harris are free agents. The Wings will start the 2026 season with a new coach, Jose Fernandez, after the dismissal of Chris Koclanes after only one year.

There are a lot of exciting things happening in Dallas. We have a new coach… the practice facilities… a couple of high picks in recent years. We are very excited to bring in another of the top prospects.

Maddy Siegrist.

The 2026 season will also feature two expansion franchises: Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. They will select in sixth and seventh place, although it is not yet known in what order. A date for the expansion draft has not yet been set, the rules of which must be collectively bargained. CBA negotiations are ongoing after the players’ union and the league agreed to a one-month extension. The current CBA will now expire on November 30. The rest of the first round draft order for the WNBA is as follows: No. 8 Golden State, No. 9 Washington, No. 10 Indiana, No. 11 Washington, No. 12 Connecticut, No. 13 Atlanta, No. 14 Seattle, No. 15 Connecticut.