I've long thought that the WNBA needs to add pick protections like the NBA has. One great example of this can be seen with the Chicago Sky's 2026 WNBA Draft pick.
The Sky don't own their first-round pick next year, as it was traded away in a slightly confusing series of moves. First, the swap rights on the pick were sent to Minnesota in an April 2024 trade, then the pick was given outright to the Lynx in exchange for the No. 11 pick this year, which Chicago used on Hailey Van Lith.
Now, Chicago looks like they were fleeced in this deal, which is mostly because they were, though when the first part was made in 2024, the team didn't realize it was about to be as bad as it was. Landing the rights to Nikolina Milić in the first part of that deal seemed like a nice move, but she never played a game for the team and was traded as part of the deal that brought Rebecca Allen to Sky Town.
So, now the Minnesota Lynx have the unprotected first-round pick for one of the WNBA's worst teams. That seems...bad, for the rest of the league — for Lynx fans, it's a nice icing on top of the cake.
The Minnesota Lynx have a clear path toward getting even better
Imagine being 9-0, one of the two clear title favorites, coming off a season where you made the WNBA Finals, and having a chance to be even better next year.
It's a rare thing, and the impending CBA negotiations could derail any team's shot at being good in the future since a majority of the league will be free agents. That makes draft picks more important than ever right now.
Which is why the Lynx holding a first-round pick next from a struggling Sky team, a pick with a very good chance of landing at No. 1 overall, is huge.
The best-case scenario for Minnesota is that the pick lands at No. 1 overall and that the team is able to re-sign Napheesa Collier and other key players next year. Imagine adding Lauren Betts, Azzi Fudd or Olivia Miles to this current roster? It would set the team up well for the future.
But it also sets the team up for a quick rebuild if next offseason's weird free agency landscape doesn't work out in the team's favor. Remember: Nothing is guaranteed about how the league looks in 2026. Virtually the only players who we can guarantee will be anywhere are the players on rookie deals still from the past few draft classes. The Lynx could go undefeated this year, win the title and then find themselves having to build an all-new team if some of its stars decide they want to explore the market.
In that scenario, Betts, for example, would immediately come in and be the cornerstone for the next generation of Lynx basketball.
That versatility is rare as we head into what looks like an unprecedented offseason. Minnesota has to be thanking the Chicago front office for parting with this first-round pick, because it will either make an unbeatable team even more unbeatable or it will allow the team to have a soft landing if free agency doesn't go its way.