The Dallas Wings are on the clock.
After winning the WNBA draft lottery in November, the Wings earned the right to select UConn star Paige Bueckers at the 2025 WNBA draft, which will be held in New York City on April 14, just eight days after Bueckers cut down the nets at the women’s NCAA title game in Tampa.
While Bueckers is the consensus first pick, what happens after is not quite as clear. Olivia Miles, who was projected to go No. 2, shook things up when she decided to forgo the draft this year and enter the transfer portal. Shortly after Miles and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost to the TCU Horned Frogs in the Sweet 16, Miles seemingly decided that if she can't beat them, join them, reportedly committing to TCU for her final season of college eligibility .
Besides those who make up the 2025 draft class, a bevy of offseason trades have jostled many first-round picks amongst teams, too. The Seattle Storm acquired the No. 2 pick, swapping with the Los Angeles Sparks in the mega-deal that sent Jewell Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces and Kelsey Plum to L.A. Speaking of the Aces, the WNBA rescinded Las Vegas’s 2025 first-round pick following an investigation into the team’s handling of former player and current Sparks forward Dearica Hamby. The monthslong investigation found the franchise violated league rules regarding impermissible player benefits and workplace policies.
Another offseason trade shook up the top-four picks decided by the draft lottery when the Washington Mystics acquired the No. 3 pick from the Chicago Sky in exchange for Ariel Atkins. The Sky remain in the first round, though, with the Connecticut Sun’s first-round pick from the Marina Mabrey trade at last year’s deadline. And the Sun still hold two first-round picks after they launched into a rebuild during the offseason.
Oh, and we have the first of three known expansion teams—the Golden State Valkyries—entering their first draft.
With so many moving parts and a talented draft class, here’s how the first round could shake out come Monday.
1. Dallas Wings
Paige Bueckers, guard, UConn
Dallas gets the chance to add another franchise guard to its backcourt alongside four-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale, who was the league’s highest-scoring guard last year. Bueckers brings the Wings a star for the future who will have an immediate impact. The three-time Big East Player of the Year became the fastest player to reach 2,000 career points in UConn’s storied program history, made up of all-time WNBA greats like Maya Moore, Breanna Stewart, Napheesa Collier and Diana Taurasi. If Bueckers’s draft stock could climb any higher, it has only risen after her NCAA tournament performance that resulted in her first title as well as a career-high 40 points in UConn’s Sweet 16 win over Oklahoma. And she slides into Dallas’s roster nicely next to Ogunbowale, plus the Wings’ offseason acquisitions of DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith, Myisha Hines-Allen and Tyasha Harris.
2. Seattle Storm (via Los Angeles Sparks)
Dominique Malonga, center, France
Malonga, a 6' 6" big from France, is a unicorn prospect. She’s a force down low, an effective finisher near the rim and moves extremely well for her size. She can even step out to the perimeter, serving as a three-point threat from the frontcourt. As the youngest player on the French team that won silver at the 2024 Summer Olympics, she made four appearances and scored seven points in eight minutes in a group-stage win over Canada. She’s one of the youngest prospects in this year’s draft class at 19 years old, which gives the Storm a player with star upside who can make an impact sooner rather than later. If she comes to the WNBA right away, she can learn from Seattle’s All-Star and All-Defensive center Ezi Magbegor.
With an extraordinary ceiling, Malonga likely won’t have to wait long to hear her name called on draft night. If some stateside are unfamiliar with her, look no further than a recent EuroCup Women playoff game, where she had 22 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks while playing for LDLC ASVEL Féminin.
3. Washington Mystics (via Chicago Sky)
Sonia Citron, guard, Notre Dame
Citron, a four-year player for coach Niele Ivey at Notre Dame, competes on both sides of the floor and provides a versatile option to plug and play alongside any lineup. This season, she averaged 14.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.8 stocks (steals plus blocks) per game for the Irish. She also shot 37.2% on three-pointers on 4.3 attempts per game. The No. 3 pick marks the first of three first-round selections for the Mystics, who are in talent-accumulation mode amid a rebuild under new general manager Jamila Wideman and head coach Sydney Johnson. Citron fits the bill with her ability to impact all aspects of the game, including her rebounding prowess from the guard spot.
4. Washington Mystics
Kiki Iriafen, forward, USC
Iriafen’s draft stock has remained high throughout the season, and she strengthened her case as a lottery pick with a 36-point game in the NCAA tournament against Mississippi State after JuJu Watkins’s exit with a season-ending knee injury. Iriafen transferred to USC following three years with Stanford. For the Trojans, she averaged 18 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in 35 appearances. In her final year at Stanford, she averaged a double-double with 19.4 points and 11 rebounds per game. She’s primed to make an immediate impact at the next level, especially in a rebuilding situation like in Washington, where the path to a starting role is more clear. Her efficient scoring near the hoop, effective rebounding and defensive ability makes for a long-term impact player for any team.
5. Golden State Valkyries
Hailey Van Lith, guard, TCU
The first surprise pick of this mock draft lands Van Lith with the WNBA’s newest team. The league assigned Golden State the No. 5 pick, one selection outside of the lottery, picking fifth in all three rounds of the draft. Sure, top five may be a bit rich for Van Lith, but Golden State may choose to take a big swing with a blank slate ahead. The 23-year-old point guard arguably increased her draft stock more than any player with her NCAA tournament performance. She helped lead TCU to a program-first Sweet 16 and Elite Eight appearances, scoring 72 total points along with 26 rebounds and 23 assists over the Horned Frogs’ four tournament games.
Van Lith has started each game of her five-year college career, spending her first three seasons at Louisville before a year at LSU and rounding out her eligibility with TCU. She won at every stop, reaching the Elite Eight five times in five collegiate seasons—the first player to accomplish that feat. Her immense experience, which includes international play with Team USA in women’s 3x3 competition, would help a young team trying to pave its way. At this point, it isn’t wise to bet against Van Lith.
6. Washington Mystics (via Atlanta Dream)
Justė Jocytė, guard, Lithuania
The Mystics may decide to use one of their three first-round picks on an international prospect as a future-forward asset. Jocytė, a 6' 2" combo guard from Lithuania, plays alongside Malonga for LDLC ASVEL Féminin in the French League. In 2019, she became the youngest player in both the women’s French League and EuroLeague when she debuted for ASVEL less than a month after her 14th birthday. She’s a creative scorer and playmaker who can play as a lead guard or off the ball based on team needs. With Washington’s sheer volume of draft capital, the Mystics should spend at least one of their first-round picks on a much-younger international prospect who can develop over time. Jocytė, 19, is an advanced pick-and-roll operator for her age. And she should only get better with time.
7. Connecticut Sun (via New York Liberty)
Aneesah Morrow, forward, LSU
Morrow is incredibly productive, averaging a double-double in each season of her four-year college career. The Sun would have to be thrilled if Morrow is still on the board for the seventh pick. Connecticut pressed the rebuild button this offseason after six straight years of making it to the WNBA semifinals or better, including two trips to the Finals. The Sun traded Alyssa Thomas, Carrington and Harris, while DeWanna Bonner and Brionna Jones left in free agency. Morrow has the talent to become a building block for Connecticut moving forward. She recorded 30 double-doubles this season for LSU—no other player in the country had more than 22. She’s a defensive disruptor who packs a scoring punch, too. She’ll work to develop as a perimeter threat in the WNBA but provides plenty of production on both ends.
8. Connecticut Sun (via Indiana Fever)
Ajša Sivka, forward, Slovenia
With a likely long-term approach to the draft, the Sun should choose to use one of their two first-round selections on a draft-and-stash prospect. Sivka is a 6' 4" forward from Slovenia who can see a role as a two-way, floor-spacing wing in the WNBA. Her length and instincts make an impression defensively while she also possesses playmaking and scoring pop to keep an offense flowing. She has played professionally in France and has international experience with the Slovenian national team, including as the MVP of the FIBA Women's U18 European Championship in 2023.
9. Los Angeles Sparks (via Seattle Storm)
Shyanne Sellers, guard, Maryland
With L.A.’s deep frontcourt of Cameron Brink, Hamby and Azurá Stevens, the Sparks could look to add a guard to learn from newly acquired star Plum and provide depth off the bench. Sellers is a versatile combo guard who can play both on or off the ball, and she’s coming off a good season shooting the three—albeit on lower volume. She made All-Big Ten First Team three seasons in a row and became the first player in Maryland program history with 1,500 points, 500 rebounds and 500 assists.
10. Chicago Sky (via Connecticut Sun)
Georgia Amoore, guard, Kentucky
Toward the back of the first round, Chicago could look to add a guard for the future alongside its star-studded young frontcourt of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. And the Sky would get just that with Amoore. Amoore transferred from Virginia Tech to Kentucky last season, following her head coach Kenny Brooks. She was top-four in total assists across Division I play in each of the last two seasons as one of the best facilitators in this draft class. She’s a top-tier pick-and-roll operator, able to manipulate defenses and then make the right read. As a high volume three-point shooter, she could thrive in a situation where players like Reese and Cardoso crash defenses, leaving clean looks on the perimeter.
11. Minnesota Lynx
Sarah Ashlee Barker, guard, Alabama
Barker declared for the draft following an incredible 45-point tournament performance during a second-round loss to Maryland. She spent three seasons at Alabama after starting her collegiate career at Georgia for two seasons. A 6' 0" guard with plenty of scoring power, Barker has the combination of shooting skills and defensive instincts and effort that can help round out a WNBA team’s rotation. The Lynx lost reserve Cecilia Zandalasini to the Valkyries in the expansion draft, leaving Minnesota in need for some scoring pop off the bench. Barker has the tools and experience to fill that void as she climbs up draft boards following the extraordinary tournament performance against Maryland.
12. Dallas Wings (via New York Liberty)
Te-Hina Paopao, guard, South Carolina
Paopao joined Dawn Staley’s storied South Carolina program in 2023 after three seasons with Oregon. The fifth-year guard started in all but three of her 153 career collegiate games. She’s a dangerous three-point threat on high volume, shooting 40% from deep on 4.8 attempts per game over her five NCAA seasons. She shot over 42% from deep in two seasons, including a whopping 46.8% from three on five attempts per game during her first season with the Gamecocks. While Paopao can handle the ball, her ideal role in the W may be as an off-ball shooting threat to create space for lead guards. She could do just that as a depth piece next to or in support of a Wings backcourt led by Ogunbowale and their likely top pick, Bueckers.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 2025 WNBA Mock Draft: Predicting the First Round As Paige Bueckers Goes No. 1.
