Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Our 2026 WNBA Draft redraft explores how rookie performances are reshaping first-round decisions this season.
- Only a few picks shift dramatically, with Olivia Miles moving into the top spot based on early impact and chemistry with established stars.
- The exercise highlights how most rookies remain in similar positions, but a handful of changes could alter team strategies moving forward.
There was a lot of debate before the 2026 WNBA Draft about whether the Dallas Wings should take Azzi Fudd or Awa Fam. They went with Fudd, but now, a month into the 2026 season, is it possible that the right choice in Dallas was actually neither player?
Is it too early to do a WNBA redraft for 2026? Some would say yes, which is why this redraft doesn't change too much from the original. However, there are some notable shifts, and they start right off the bat.
1. Dallas Wings, Olivia Miles
Azzi Fudd has been good for the Dallas Wings, and the chemistry between her and Paige Bueckers has been great. Dallas is very likely heading for a playoff spot, which means that in a re-draft, the decision here would be tough. Knowing what we know now, though, Olivia Miles has to be the pick, right?
Being able to pair Bueckers with a point guard who is already on track to be one of the best in the league would have unlocked an extra gear in this Wings offense, and while you don't want to read too much into one game, the way Miles outplayed Fudd when the two teams met on Tuesday has to be a factor, right? It shows that Fudd is still ripe to have some disappointing nights, while Miles is just chugging along and cementing not only her Rookie of the Year case, but potentially carving out an MVP case as well.
2. Minnesota Lynx, Azzi Fudd
Fudd might not go No. 1 in a redraft, but she won't fall very far. Yes, she had a bad night on Tuesday, but before that Fudd had three games in a row shooting over 50 percent from the floor. She's still struggling a bit to connect from 3-point range, but she's been virtually unstoppable inside the arc.
Her lack of creation skills is the obvious downgrade here for Minnesota, but her shot-making ability and long-term upside still makes her a better bet than taking someone like Kiki Rice. Fudd's been the clear second-best rookie in 2026.
3. Seattle Storm, Awa Fam
Awa Fam arrived late from Europe and has played in just seven games so far, and her production across those games has been a bit uneven. She's struggling immensely from deep, shooting just 12.5 percent on 2.3 attempts per game, but her interior scoring has been fine. Defensively, there have been moments, but she hasn't put it all together.
With that said, she remains the correct choice for a Storm team that has quickly shifted into rebuild mode. Sure, a couple of other available rookies may be playing better at this precise moment, but Fam has the most long-term upside of anyone left. Seattle needs to focus on the future.
4. Washington Mystics, Kiki Rice
The Washington Mystics aren't a good basketball team, but they are an interesting basketball team. Sonia Citron is proving her rookie season wasn't a fluke, and the frontcourt of Shakira Austin and Kiki Iriafen has worked out nicely — enough so that the Mystics should really reconsider the Lauren Betts pick.
Betts still has appeal long-term, but she's at a position that the Mystics didn't really need. Drafting Kiki Rice here would have given Washington a point guard to pair with Citron in the backcourt, something the team dearly needs. Georgia Amoore has done a solid job there this season, but she's struggled to actually score baskets. Rice would have given the team ball-handling that's just as good as what Amoore can provide but with the added benefit of being able to put up points for the Mystics.
5. Chicago Sky, Gabriela Jaquez
This was probably the wrong pick at the time, as Chicago should have gone with Rice. But with Rice off the board in this redraft, Gabriela Jaquez is the right choice for the Sky.
She's not a future star, but Jaquez is a really solid glue player who will help round out the Sky rotation for years to come, as long as the front office doesn't have a brain fart and decides to trade her. Jaquez can be one of the league's better role players, and the Sky can slot her in a few spots in the lineup, which means she won't hinder any future plans by blocking a new player's minutes.
6. Toronto Tempo, Lauren Betts
It's been a rough year for Betts. It's too early to say that the critics who worried she played too much of a throwback game were right, but the fact she landed on a team that was already set up front means that she hasn't had a chance to play the minutes needed to prove she can adapt to the modern game.
With that said, the Toronto Tempo shouldn't hesitate if Betts is still on the board here. It's becoming increasingly clear that this year's expansion teams aren't repeating the Valkyries' 2025 success (even if Toronto currently sits as the eighth seed), so taking the highest-upside player on the board is the right move. For all her early struggles, there's still a chance Betts becomes a dominant back-to-the-basket center.
7. Portland Fire, Iyana Martín
Iyana Martín isn't playing in the WNBA this season, and that's okay for the Portland Fire, both in real life and in this hypothetical life. Yes, the team got off to a hotter start than expected, but things are cooling off after a three-game losing streak. Focusing on the future is what matters here.
Martín might not have developed like some expected in her most recent international season, but the Fire are in a position where they need to make big swings. This is one such swing.
8. Golden State Valkyries, Flau'jae Johnson
In real life, Golden State took Flau'jae Johnson here and then promptly traded her to Seattle. In this redraft, they'll take Johnson again, and hopefully this time they'll keep her around.
Johnson's early struggles with efficiency mean she won't get as many minutes in Golden State as she's currently getting in Seattle, but her upside as a wing creator would be huge for the Valkyries long-term, even if she doesn't get a lot of run in the short term.
9. Washington Mystics, Angela Dugalić
With the point guard question answered earlier by picking Rice, the Mystics now turn to the question of small forward. There's not really a starting-quality option left on the board, but the team can choose between two players it drafted in real life: Angela Dugalić and Cotie McMahon.
Both are solid options here, but Dugalić has been a bit more well-rounded, even if McMahon has higher upside as a scorer. Neither is your answer at the position going forward, but Dugalić feels like a better bet to be a productive role player off the bench.
10. Indiana Fever, Cotie McMahon
Nothing against Raven Johnson, who the Fever took in real life, but adding someone who can play small forward or even some small-ball four appears to be the more pressing concern.
McMahon isn't taking a starting spot on this team, but she would offer the Fever an intriguing scoring threat off the bench. There's still a lot of development needed for McMahon to prove she can stick around this league, but the Fever are a team that should consider making that bet.
11. Washington Mystics, Raven Johnson
The Mystics could use more wing depth, so let's go with a guard-type player for the third time in three picks for the team.
Raven Johnson hasn't had many chances to show why the Fever used a first-round pick on her, but I've liked what little I've seen. She's got to make more strides on offense, but she's a good defender who theoretically has upside as a 3-point shooter. The Mystics have very little shooting, so betting on Johnson's development there would be a very smart move.
12. Connecticut Sun, Nell Angloma
We've now reached the boring part of this redraft, as we've kind of run out of draftable rookies who are making an impact. (There are plenty of international rookies and players from outside this class who are making an impact in their first season, but those players aren't eligible for this class.)
Connecticut picked Nell Angloma in real life and might as well pick her again here. She's a 19-year-old who scores well inside and has future potential, which is what this franchise needs to prioritize
13. Atlanta Dream, Madina Okot
The Atlanta Dream are contenders for the title and don't really need Madina Okot right now, as evidenced by the fact that the team currently has her and she's averaging 9.4 minutes per game.
But for a team desperate for shooting, Okot was and remains a fascinating pick. She's a 6-foot-6 center who showed shooting range in college, even if that hasn't translated yet in her first 11 games as a WNBA player. This is a bet on the future, and it's a bet Atlanta has the luxury to make.
14. Seattle Storm, Charlisse Leger-Walker
The rebuilding Storm need help at point guard, and Charlisse Leger-Walker is the best available option to help there. She's never going to be a big-time scorer in the WNBA, but she's a skilled passer who definitely has a place in the league.
Of course, Seattle would have to keep her in Seattle for that to happen. Let's not forget that the team moved on from its original No. 14 pick, Taina Mair, though it did bring her back on a development deal.
15. Connecticut Sun, Cassandre Prosper
Connecticut needs to be looking to the future, so drafting 20-year-old guard Cassandre Prosper makes a ton of sense here. The Notre Dame project might not be totally pro ready at the moment based on what we've seen of her in Washington, but getting her somewhere that she can get more consistent run would be good for her development.
And with that, the first-round redraft comes to a close. What did we learn? That players were mostly selected close to the right spot, though there are a few notable changes that would already be made. Ultimately, though, only Taina Mair and Gianna Kneepkens — the final two picks in the real draft — fall out of the first round in this version.
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