Dallas Wings Get First WNBA Draft Pick for Second Straight Year
The Dallas Wings have secured the first pick in the WNBA draft for the second consecutive year. This achievement makes them the fourth team in league history to obtain the top spot in consecutive drafts, although other teams have won consecutive lotteries and then traded one of the picks. The 2026 lottery draw took place on Sunday, determining the selection order for the April 13 draft. The Wings, who selected Paige Bueckers from UConn in 2025, will have the opportunity to pick first again. The lottery was 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. The Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm also participated in the lottery after trade agreements. With a cumulative record of 19-65, the Wings had the best odds of obtaining the first pick (42%) and were guaranteed at least a top-three pick.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, 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 (No. 3 in 2023) were the only lottery picks who played for Dallas last season. This year, the draft lottery featured five teams for the first time 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 want someone who wants to win,” said Maddy Siegrist, Wings player and team representative in the lottery. “We have a young and exciting group, and we really bond. I’m excited to bring someone else in.”
Maddy Siegrist
According to projections, UConn’s Azzi Fudd could be the first pick in the draft, followed by Awa Fam from Spain. TCU’s Olivia Miles, UCLA’s Lauren Betts, and LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson round out the rest of the projected lottery picks. While most of the league’s teams are in free agency, 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 dismissing Chris Koclanes after one year.“We are very excited,” said Talisa Rhea, general manager of the Storm. “I think being in the top three, especially in this draft, will give us a great player. So I’m definitely happy to have gotten there. I think there are definitely a handful of really great players who will be able to make an impact on teams immediately, which isn’t always the case. I really think there’s good depth and good high-level talent in this draft. At the 3rd spot, I really think we’ll get someone who will help us immediately.”
Talisa Rhea
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 the order has not yet been determined. A date for the expansion draft has not yet been set, and its rules must be collectively bargained. Collective bargaining negotiations are ongoing after the players’ union and the league agreed to a one-month extension. The current collective bargaining agreement will expire on November 30. The rest of the first round order 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.“There are a lot of exciting things happening in Dallas,” Siegrist said. “We have a new coach… the training facilities… a couple of first-round picks in the last few years. We’re really excited to bring in another top prospect.”
Maddy Siegrist
