Dallas Wings Get First WNBA Draft Pick for Second Straight Year
For the second consecutive year, the Dallas Wings secure the first pick in the WNBA draft. This achievement solidifies their position as a team with potential for the future, although they are still looking to consolidate their performance in the league. The team, which selected UConn’s Paige Bueckers in 2025, won the 2026 WNBA draft lottery on Sunday, April 13th. This is a significant milestone, as they are the fourth franchise to obtain the first overall pick in consecutive seasons, even though others have won consecutive lotteries but traded one of the picks. The lottery odds were based on the cumulative records of the last two regular seasons of the WNBA for the five teams that did not make the playoffs in 2025. 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 obtaining the first pick (42%) and were guaranteed at least a top-three pick.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 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 (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 before Sunday, 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, Dallas forward and team representative in the lottery. “We have an exciting young group and we really bond. I’m excited to bring in someone else.”
Maddy Siegrist
In the last mock draft, UConn’s Azzi Fudd is projected to be number 1, with Awa Fam from Spain at number 2. TCU’s Olivia Miles, UCLA’s Lauren Betts, and LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson complete the rest of the projected lottery picks. While most of the league’s templates are currently composed 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 firing Chris Koclanes after only one year.“We are very excited,” said Talisa Rhea, general manager of Storm.
Talisa Rhea
The 2026 season will also feature two expansion franchises: the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo. They will select sixth and seventh, although the order is not yet known. 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.“There are so many exciting things 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 top prospect.”
Maddy Siegrist
