The 2025 WNBA Draft was Monday night, which means the countdown to the 2026 WNBA Draft has started.
Next year's draft will be one like no other. Expansion's arrival will add extra spots. A new CBA will shift the entire landscape of the league. Rookies might be even more important than ever, or salary increases could shift in a way that makes rookie contracts less appealing. Anything can happen!
With the Toronto Tempo and the unnamed Portland team joining the league next year, we'll have 15 picks in the first round. Since it's not clear which teams will have which picks and there are some swaps in play, we'll skip the team fits and will just look at which 15 players are trending toward being first-rounders in 2026.
1. Lauren Betts - UCLA
Will we have another player go wire-to-wire as the No. 1 overall prospect? The top of next year's class is strong, so Lauren Betts could theoretically be dethroned, but the 6-foot-7 big showcased last season what makes her so dangerous, averaging 20.2 points per game on 64.8% shooting — to finish top 10 in the nation in field goal percentage while scoring at the volume Betts scored at is a pretty absurd feat. She can also protect the paint on defense.
2. Olivia Miles - TCU
By going back to college instead of declaring for the 2025 WNBA Draft, Olivia Miles goes from the No. 2 prospect of 2025 to the No. 2 prospect of 2026. Miles, who will spend her final season at TCU, is a playmaking point guard who showed improvement as a scorer last season. TCU will offer her a shot to really showcase her ability to operate as the lead guard.
3. Ta'Niya Latson - South Carolina
After leading the nation in scoring last season for Florida State, Ta'Niya Latson is on her way to South Carolina, where she'll look to end her college career with a national title. Getting to learn from a legendary guard like Dawn Staley should help unlock Latson's game even more.
4. Azzi Fudd - UConn
We finally got a healthy Azzi Fudd season, as she played a career-high 34 games for UConn this past campaign, scoring 13.6 points per game on 47.4% shooting. Fudd is an elite shooting talent, someone who can shore up any team's need for backcourt scoring, but her WNBA projection is tough because you have to factor in a college career peppered with injury issues.
5. Flau'Jae Johnson - LSU
Flau'Jae Johnson is a big guard with playmaking ability. Rumored to come out this past draft, Johnson returned to college for one more season even though it likely means a stronger 2026 draft class will lead to her dropping one or two spots over where she'd have been taken this year.
6. Kiki Rice - UCLA
Kiki Rice's draft stock feels like a bit of a mystery heading into next season. Her shooting continues to improve and she just posted her best assist numbers, but ideally, teams would like to see the shooting numbers get even better in her final season at UCLA.
7. Gianna Kneepkens - Portal
With Alissa Pili gone, there were questions about who would step up for Utah last season. It turned out that a healthy Gianna Kneepkens took on that role, averaging a career-high 19.3 points per game and shooting 44.8 percent from 3-point land. Worst case scenario, she's an elite off-ball shooter in the WNBA.
8. Awa Fam - Spain
I'll admit to not having watched a ton of Awa Fam outside of some highlight videos, but people I really respect are high on her, including Emily Adler at the next, who called Fam the "next best WNBA prospect in the world." Fam is a versatile big who can guard any position and so far has shown a great knack for making the right play offensively.
9. Chloe Kitts - South Carolina
Chloe Kitts just keeps getting better. This past season, Kitts averaged 10.2 points per game on 52.0% shooting and came up big for South Carolina with Ashlyn Watkins sidelined. Projecting her to go top 10 is assuming that she continues to grow her game in her final season at South Carolina, as there's definitely room for her to take on a larger offensive role.
10. Serah Williams - Portal
It's really hard to get a sense of how good Serah Williams is because she's been putting her numbers up at Wisconsin, where she's just not surrounded by high-level talent. After averaging 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game last season, Williams is definitely on the draft radar, and if she can land on a better team in the portal and maintain her productivity, she could leap up draft boards.
11. Raegan Beers - Oklahoma
I'm a little higher than most people on Raegan Beers. I was just really impressed by how Beers adjusted to Oklahoma's offensive system last year without a major drop in efficiency. Oregon State ranked 282nd in pace in her last season there. Oklahoma ranked first in pace this past season, yet all that running up and down the floor only dropped Beers from having the sixth-best field goal percentage in 2023-24 to the 14th-best in 2024-25. She also added a 3-point shot to her game.
12. Janiah Barker - Portal
One of these days, I'm going to give up on Janiah Barker, but that day isn't yet. A gifted athlete, Barker has struggled to play consistently in college, and while her decision to go to UCLA was great for the Bruins, it didn't really help her draft stock. She's in the portal again, so maybe she'll land somewhere that can help better prepare her for the pro game.
13. Ashlon Jackson - Duke
Ashlon Jackson keeps getting better as a scorer. She lacks elite upside, but she can be one of the best 3-and-D players from the 2026 draft class and is worth a shot late in the first round.
14. Charlisse Leger-Walker - UCLA
Charlisse Leger-Walker missed all of this season with a torn ACL, so projecting her as a first-rounder is betting on a return to form post-injury. Her age is a concern as well, but Leger-Walker is a smart point guard who can score with the ball in her hands but can also operate well as an off-ball shooter.
15. Ashlyn Watkins - South Carolina
Ashlyn Watkins as a first-rounder is a bet on her athleticism translating. Playing behind elite bigs for her first two seasons and then getting hurt just 14 games into this past season makes Watkins a mystery still, but if she can refine her game next season, she could be a huge draft riser.
Also in consideration: Madina Okot, Cotie McMahon, Kaylene Smikle, Iyana Martin