The WNBA trade deadline is historically quiet, but we've already seen a slew of in-season deals this year, including the swap earlier this week that sent Brittney Sykes from the Washington Mystics to the Seattle Storm for Alysha Clark and a first-round pick.
With that trade, eight of the 15 first-round picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft have already changed hands, and the order is looking increasingly chaotic. The deal between the Storm and Mystics won't affect the lottery — which only covers the top-five picks and uses a two-year average of each team's win percentage. But the rest of the order has the potential to really reshape the league.
WNBA Draft Lottery odds if the season ended today
TEAM | 2-YR WIN% | No. 1 PICK ODDS |
|---|---|---|
Wings | .243 | 40% |
Sky → Lynx | .304 | 25% |
Sparks → Storm | .309 | 17% |
Mystics | .391 | 11% |
Sun → Sky | .485 | 7% |
After the lottery determines the top five picks, the next two slots are filled by the two incoming expansion teams from Toronto and Portland. After that, the rest of the order is determined by the current standings, but numerous trades have already seen picks changing hands.
6. Toronto Tempo
7. Portland Fire
8. Golden State Valkyries
9. Seattle Storm (via LVA)
10. Washington Mystics (via SEA)
11. Indiana Fever
12. Connecticut Sun (via PHX)
13. Atlanta Dream
14. Connecticut Sun (via NYL)
15. Washington Mystics (via MIN)
The Lynx and Storm, both current contenders with crazy collections of draft assets, have gotten the most attention, but the Mystics are arguably in just as strong a position.
They'll have their own pick, likely locked into the top-five, with at least a reasonable chance of jumping up to No. 1. And then they'll also have a pair of picks to finish out the first round — No. 10 and No. 15. Those picks could possibly be packaged together to move up or just add two more talented young players to their current core. Remember, this is a core that includes two 2025 draft picks — Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen — who made the All-Star team in their first seasons.
Our last WNBA Mock Draft, had the Mystics landing Richmond wing Maggie Doogan at No. 15, another ace shooter and versatile scoring threat. At No. 10, they could have the chance to add more frontcourt size with players like Serah Williams, Chloe Kitts or Awa Fam. Or they could target a backcourt or wing connector like Ashlyn Watkins or Charlisse Leger-Walker.
An enormous number of players around the league are hitting free agency this offseason, as everyone maneuvered their previous deals to end right as a new CBA was expected to kick in and bring a big pay bump. But the Mystics already have an intriguing core locked in. They have team control over Iriafen and Citron for three more seasons, as well as Georgia Amoore who they took with the No. 6 pick in last year's draft before an ACL injury pushed her rookie debut off to 2026. Aliyah Edwards, the No. 6 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, has struggled to find her footing, but the Mystics have her under team control for two more seasons — with the option of patiently working on her development or flipping her for another asset. In addition, they have Lucy Olsen and Jade Melbourne, two other young players with potential.
As the rest of the league is scrambling to quickly reset through free agency, the Mystics will be adding to their young talent base with three more first-round picks. The future in Washington is bright.