Wings repeat: Dallas leads the 2026 WNBA Draft, Fudd at #1!

Dallas Wings Get First WNBA Draft Pick for Second Straight Year

The Dallas Wings secure the top spot in the WNBA draft for the second consecutive year, an achievement that solidifies their position as a team with great future potential. After obtaining the first selection in the 2025 draft, where they selected Paige Bueckers from UConn, the Wings once again lead the 2026 draft lottery, which will be held on April 13. This is the fourth time a franchise has secured the first pick in two consecutive seasons, although some have traded one of the selections. The lottery odds were based on the cumulative results of the last two regular WNBA seasons for the five teams that failed to qualify for the 2025 playoffs. Strategic moves led the Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm to participate in the lottery. With a cumulative record of 19-65, the Wings had the best odds of getting the first pick (42%) and were guaranteed at least a top-three pick.

“We want someone who wants to win,” said Maddy Siegrist, a Wings player and team representative at the lottery. “We have a young and exciting group, and we really bond. I’m excited to bring someone else in.”

Maddy Siegrist

Bueckers, who was named WNBA Rookie of the Year and was also selected for the All-WNBA second team, couldn’t lead the Wings to the playoffs, and the team finished 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 (number 3 in 2023) were the only lottery picks who played for Dallas last season. The draft lottery this year was the first to feature five teams since 2010. The Lynx, who had 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,” said Talisa Rhea, general manager of the Storm.

Talisa Rhea

Azzi Fudd from UConn is expected to be number 1 in the latest mock draft, with Awa Fam from Spain at number 2. Olivia Miles from TCU, Lauren Betts from UCLA, and Flau’jae Johnson from LSU complete the rest of the projected lottery picks. While most of the league’s rosters 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 enter the 2026 season with a new coach, Jose Fernandez, after dismissing Chris Koclanes after only one year.

“There are a lot of exciting things happening in Dallas,” Siegrist said. “We have a new coach… the training facilities… a couple of high picks in recent years. We are very excited to bring in another high-level prospect”.

Maddy Siegrist

The 2026 season will also feature two expansion franchises: the Portland Fire and the 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 expire on November 30. The rest of the first round order is: 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.