WNBA Mock Draft after the Elite 8: Olivia Miles shakes up the draft by staying in school

It was supposed to just be a chill night of watching the Elite Eight and thinking about where I might put Hailey Van Lith in the mock draft I planned to write Thursday. And then Shams Charania broke news that shook the women's basketball world.

The consensus No. 2 prospect in this class, Notre Dame point guard Olivia Miles, was hitting the transfer portal instead of entering the draft.

Suddenly, this draft looks a lot different. But how different? Well, let's do a mock draft and see.

One note here: LSU's Flau'jae Johnson is a draft-eligible junior and expressed uncertainty about whether or not she would declare for this year's draft. She hasn't appeared in anyone's mocks because the assumption was that she would return to LSU for a fourth season. She has until Tuesday afternoon to make a decision, so if I'm wrong then I have to redo this all over again, but I'm keeping her out of the mock to be safe. If she declares, I don't see a world where she makes it out of the lottery. She could go as high as No. 2 to Seattle.

Now that that's out of the way, it's mock draft time!

1. Dallas Wings - Paige Bueckers (G, UConn)

The only sure thing at this point is that Paige Bueckers will be picked at No. 1. There have been some suggestions in the media that Bueckers could try to force her way somewhere else, but I'm not going to read too much into those suggestions at this point. Bueckers is the game-changing guard that Dallas needs to pair with Arike Ogunbowale to get this team to the next level.

2. Seattle Storm - Dominique Malonga (F, France)

Seattle has a history when it comes to drafting international bigs, so taking a swing on Dominique Malonga here makes sense. There's no guarantee she comes over now and the current roster fit isn't perfect, but Malonga is by far the second-best talent in this class. And if you ask some of the international ball watchers in my group chat, the ones who make watching every one of her games a priority during weekday afternoons, they'll tell you she's better than Bueckers.

3. Washington Mystics - Sonia Citron (G, Notre Dame)

No change here. Sonia Citron is the 3-and-D wing that Washington need to replace Ariel Atkins. She's probably not going to be a superstar at the next level, but she can do a bit of everything and will give Washington a solid foundation to build on with their other two first round picks.

4. Washington Mystics - Kiki Iriafen (F, USC)

I know the Mystics have to hate missing out on Malonga, but Kiki Iriafen proved in the second round of the NCAA Tournament after JuJu Watkins went down that she can take over a game. You'd like to see a little more consistency, but there have been reminders about why a year ago most people projected Iriafen to be the No. 2 pick behind Bueckers.

5. Golden State Valkyries - Shyanne Sellers (G, Maryland)

Aside from Seattle, Golden State is probably the team that suffers the most from Miles going back to school, as it shifts everyone up a spot. Instead of landing someone with star potential like Iriafen, the expansion team must settle for Shyanne Sellers, who can still be a really good player at this level. The Maryland guard shot 40.8 percent from 3 this season and would see heavy minutes as the primary ball-handler beside Tiffany Hayes in a fairly weak backcourt.

6. Washington Mystics - Justė Jocytė (G, Lithuania)

The Mystics look toward the future by taking Justė Jocytė, a big off-ball guard from Lithuania who plays with Malonga at ASVEL. She's been on the international stage since she was 13 years old, when she made her debut on the Lithuanian national team. She lacks a little athleticism and needs to work on her defense, but she has the court awareness and size to be a fixture at the pro level.

7. Connecticut Sun - Georgia Amoore (G, Kentucky)

After trading away basically their entire team, the Connecticut Sun should go best player available with their two first rounders. That begins with Kentucky point guard Georgia Amoore, a talented shooter who can hopefully overcome the fact that she's only 5-foot-6.

8. Connecticut Sun - Aneesah Morrow (F, LSU)

Aneesah Morrow feels like a bit of a tweener. She's a great rebounder, but at 6-foot-1 will need to work on extending her game out deeper to really stick in the WNBA. The talent is there though and the Sun are in a rebuild so should be able to be patient with Morrow

9. Los Angeles Sparks - Ajsa Sivka (F, Slovenia)

We have a third international player in the first round! Slovenian forward Ajsa Sivka is a good shooter on high volume internationally and can shoot well on the move. She's a crafty offensive player and could develop into a key piece for the Sparks down the line, though it's unclear if she'd come over in 2025.

10. Las Vegas Aces - Forfeited

Based on the surprise returns to school we've seen, this is probably as good a year as can be to have a forfeited first round pick.

11. Chicago Sky - Hailey Van Lith (G, TCU)

No player raised her draft stock more this month than Hailey Van Lith, and it isn't even all about her own personal play. With Miles and Azzi Fudd both going back to school, the guard depth in this class took a hit, pushing HVL up boards. But she also showcased during four NCAA Tournament games that she's made major strides as a playmaker in her one year at TCU. She's also got "that dog in her," so adding her to a hard-nosed Sky roster would be a lot of fun.

12. Minnesota Lynx - Te-Hina Paopao (G, South Carolina)

Minnesota really doesn't need much at this point. Te-Hina Paopao would give them a sharpshooting guard off the bench who can also handle ball-handling duties when Courtney Williams is on the bench. Nice luxury pick for Minnesota.

13. Dallas Wings - Saniya Rivers (F, NC State)

This last pick has always intrigued me more than any other pick in this draft, because there are so many ways Dallas could go. Saniya Rivers has one major hole in her game because she's never shot better than 27.2 percent from deep for a season, but she's a versatile player who can score inside and has the size to guard multiple positions.

There's been some speculation that the Wings could go with Sedona Prince here after a strong season at nearby TCU, but she's struggled immensely when matched up with players who actually have the size to defend her (like Taylor Jones in the Elite Eight) and carries too many off-court concerns, including multiple allegations of domestic abuse. The old Wings might have done that, but it's hard to see the new regime making that same mistake.