After a chaotic free agency period and before looming collective bargaining agreement negotiations, the one thing that is all but certain is the Dallas Wings selecting Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. The rest remains an open question. In an attempt to cut through that uncertainty, here is our take on each team’s needs and potential prospect fits—with apologies to the New York Liberty, who only have the No. 38 pick, and the Phoenix Mercury, who have no picks—heading into the draft.
Dallas Wings
Picks: No. 1, 12, 14, 27, 31
Foundational Need: A true point guard cornerstone.
It’s been a while. Skylar Diggins-Smith was the last Wings player to finish a season top five in assists per game—back in 2018. Since that season, Arike Ogunbowale has been the one constant in Dallas as the franchise has cycled through three head coaches and traded homegrown first-round picks Allisha Gray, Azura Stevens and Satou Sabally. UConn’s Paige Bueckers, fresh off leading the Huskies to their first national title since 2016, is the perfect player to end both of those trends and provide the franchise with momentum before moving into a new arena in 2026.
Structural Need: A backup center.
The Wings lack a true five behind Teaira McCowan. While new addition NaLyssa Smith played center in the Fever’s small-ball lineups last season, it is not her natural position. (The Fever had a net rating of -21.93 when Smith slotted in as the de facto five.) South Carolina’s Sania Feagin—who might not be available as late as No. 12, if Dawn Staley is to be believed—could slot right in. Feagin sat on the Gamecocks bench for three years before becoming a starter, improved and became a key communicator on the defensive end while averaging 2.6 assists per 40 minutes on the offensive end.
Structural Need: Bench depth.
Dallas’s bench scored the second-fewest points per game (14.7) in 2024. While the roster will look different in 2025—acquisitions Tyasha Harris and Myisha Hines-Allen will likely helm the second unit, along with either Maddy Siegrist or Smith—the bottom half of the rotation is filled with question marks. The Wings should be able to fill those holes with the No. 12 and No. 14 picks. Either West Virginia’s JJ Quinerly or Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker, two different types of guards who play with unending hustle, would give Dallas tone-setters off the bench.
Seattle Storm
Picks: No. 2, 26, 29, 34
Structural Need: Frontcourt help.
The Storm shored up the roster elsewhere by bringing in guards Erica Wheeler, Lexie Brown and Zia Cooke and forwards Alysha Clark and Katie Lou Samuelson. Former Sparks center Li Yeuru is the only big with WNBA experience behind Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor. France’s Dominique Malonga, a rangy 6' 6" center who is a rim protector, willing three-point shooter and fluid athlete all in one, provides uncapped upside in the long term and relief for Ogwumike and Magbegor in the short term.
Luxury Need: A developmental point guard.
Seattle has built-in redundancy at most positions, which is clearest with Diggins-Smith, Wheeler and Cooke at point guard. If the Storm don’t view Wheeler or Cooke as long-term staples, Slovenia’s 19-year-old Lea Bartelme offers intriguing potential as a stash. (Seattle will likely have two, at most, roster spots up for grabs.) She averaged 18.0 points and 8.2 assists per 40 minutes in U20 Women’s EuroBasket Competition last July and has since played up with the senior squad in EuroBasket qualifiers.
Luxury Need: Bench shooting.
The Storm bench ranked dead last in three-point shooting percentage (28.8%) last season. Seattle did bring in Brown, Clark and Samuelson—each are 33.6% career three-point shooters or better—but face similar future depth questions at wing if Clark or Samuelson change teams in 2026. Kansas State small forward Temira Poindexter, who hit eight threes to knock out Kentucky in March, could be an option when the Storm pick at the beginning of the third round.
Washington Mystics
Picks: No. 3, 4, 6, 23, 32
Foundational Need: Non-frontcourt talent.
While the Mystics gained the No. 4 pick when they traded Ariel Atkins to the Sky, they also lost the first player in WNBA history to make an All-Defensive team in each of their first five seasons. Guard Brittney Sykes and wing Emily Engstler are the only two other perimeter players known for their defense on the roster. Wings Sonia Citron (Notre Dame) and Saniya Rivers (NC State) offer versatility and defensive prowess.
Structural Need: Shooters.
The departures of Atkins and point guard Julie Vanloo leave about 11 three-point attempts per game on the table. South Carolina’s Te-Hina Paopao shot a scorching 42.2% from beyond the arc in her two years with the Gamecocks, and Lithuania’s Juste Jocyte has shot 36.5% from deep in Eurocup competition. TCU’s Madison Conner, who made the most threes in the country this last season, could be a later-round option.
Luxury Need: Frontcourt talent.
It might be odd to say that adding talent is a luxury need for the Mystics. But Washington’s frontcourt is already stocked with Shakira Austin, Aaliyah Edwards, Stefanie Dolson and Sika Kone. After the Atkins trade and Elena Delle Donne’s retirement, though, Washington is firmly in Year 1 of their rebuild. As such, going for the best player available is defensible. USC’s Kiki Iriafen, once viewed as the No. 2 prospect in this year’s class, fits the bill.
Golden State Valkyries
Picks: No. 5, 17, 30
Foundational Need: A player of the future for fans to hang their hat on.
The Valkyries were intentional about finding players who would let them play fast, space the floor and hold their own defensively. While Kate Martin is a likely fan favorite, Golden State failed to add any big-name players in free agency. USC’s Kiki Iriafen, who Chiney Ogwumike has compared to A’ja Wilson, would fit what the Valkyries need beyond the court. She grew up in California, played the bulk of her college career at Stanford (less than an hour away from the Chase Center) and signed a deal with Skechers ahead of the draft.
Structural Need: Bucket getters.
When the Valkyries need to score, who will they turn to aside from 2024 Sixth Player of the Year Tiffany Hayes? Golden State doesn’t have many shot creators. Maryland’s Shayanne Sellers, while maybe higher than most have her if the Valkyries wanted her at five, ranked in the 75th percentile or higher in field goal percentage in the paint, in the midrange and on above-the-break threes, according to CBB Analytics. In other words: Sellers is a three-level scorer. Coach Natalie Nakase has also been vocal about wanting high character and competitive players; Sellers has both traits. Outside of the first round, Iowa’s Lucy Olsen Tennessee’s Jewel Spear and Harvard’s Harmoni Turner fit this need.
Connecticut Sun
Picks: No. 7, 8, 25
Foundational Need: Players.
New general manager Morgan Tuck and coach Rachid Meziane walk into 2025 with as clean a slate as any team. All five players who started on opening night are no longer with the team. As simple as it sounds, Connecticut needs players. LSU’s Aneesah Morrow, who finished with the third-most rebounds in Division I history, can operate as an undersized power forward next to Tina Charles or Olivia Nelson-Ododa. After Morrow, NC State wing Saniya Rivers might be the most athletic player in the draft and would enable the Sun to maintain their defensive tenacity in the post–Stephanie White era.
Structural Need: Backup bigs.
Charles and Nelson-Ododa are the only two post players on the Sun’s roster who averaged at least 10 minutes per game last season. At pick No. 25, Connecticut should have options. Auburn’s DeYona Gaston averaged 28.7 points per 40 minutes and had a 33.5% usage rate—both marks were the highest for any big in this draft class. Right behind Gaston in both marks, Gonzaga’s Yvonne Ejim finished her career as the Bulldogs’ all-time leader in points and rebounds. Both players could find minutes if they make the roster.
Luxury Need: International stashes.
The Sun are positioned well for the 2027 draft mega sweepstakes. While Connecticut needs to round out its squad, grabbing an international player allows it to take a longer view. Meziane is familiar with Juste Jocyte: He coached against her a few times in the French FLB. Either Jocyte or Slovenia’s Ajsa Sivka, a 6' 3" forward who has gotten hot from three in domestic league competition, supply the type of future upside that the Sun are missing.
Los Angeles Sparks
Picks: No. 9, 21, 28
Structural Need: One more guard.
The Sparks’ best-case scenario is keeping Kelsey Plum, Rae Burrell, Rickea Jackson, Dearica Hamby, Azura Stevens and Cameron Brink together in 2026. If Aari McDonald and Julie Allemand don’t play for the Sparks in ’25, Los Angeles’s next best guard off the bench is Odyssey Sims. Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore and NC State’s Azaiaha James both deliver off-the-dribble sizzle, in addition to playmaking and scoring. The Sparks’ bench needs that.
Luxury Need: Frontcourt depth.
If Stevens or Dearica Hamby find new teams in ’26, the Sparks don’t have many developmental pieces behind them. USC’s Rayah Marshall and Texas’s Taylor Jones both rank top 10 in the class in defensive rebound percentage, offensive rebound percentage and total blocks. Either player, along with Auburn’s DeYona Gaston, could find a role backing up Brink.
Chicago Sky
Picks: No. 10, 16, 22
Foundational Need: Floor spacing.
Coach Tyler Marsh said he wants “shooting, and lots of it” in his introductory press conference in Chicago. Given that, South Carolina’s Te-Hina Paopao and the Sky might be the best player-team fit in the entire draft. She led the country in three-point percentage (46.8%) in 2023–24. Paopao would be lethal coming off screens from Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso or working as a tertiary option off Courtney Vandersloot’s pick-and-rolls.
Structural Need: Perimeter shot creators.
While Atkins and Vandersloot represent a significant upgrade to Chicago’s backcourt, neither are go-to, pull-up shooters as they move further away from the basket. Kentucky’s Georgia Amoore and Tennessee’s Jewel Spear fit the mold. Spear is one of four players in this year’s class to take five or more threes per 40 minutes and shoot above 37.5% from beyond the arc. (Paige Bueckers, Bree Hall and Aaliyah Nye are the other three.) At Wake Forest, Spear led the ACC in scoring in 2021–22.
Luxury Need: Another big.
Really? Even with Reese and Cardoso? (Not to mention Elizabeth Williams, who recently returned to the court after tearing her meniscus in June, or Michaela Onyenwere, who could slide to the four in small-ball lineups.) Well, general manager Jeff Pagliocca said the team is “always looking out for shooting fours.” While this may all amount to nothing, let’s indulge the scenario, albeit later in the draft. Notre Dame’s Maddy Westbeld was a career 34.9% shooter from deep and averaged 2.6 attempts per game. Her production dipped in 2024–25, and the question is whether that can be chalked up as a one-year blip after rehabbing from foot surgery.
Minnesota Lynx
Picks: No. 11, 15, 24, 37
Luxury Need: Guard depth.
In general, the Lynx don’t have glaring needs. (Grace Berger was their lone offseason addition.) A step forward from Diamond Miller, Dorka Juhasz or Alissa Pili would provide as much of a boost as any external acquisition. But, guard Olivia Époupa did change the complexion of games and provided energy off the bench; she is unsigned. NC State’s Aziaha James, with her midrange prowess, makes for an intriguing understudy to Courtney Williams. In the second round, West Virginia’s JJ Quinerly and Kansas State’s Serena Sundell could both be available around the 15th pick. Quinerly’s tenacity would fit right in with the Lynx’s swarming defensive tendencies, while Sundell offers more traditional playmaking. She led the nation in assists (262) and ranked eighth in D-I in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5) among players who played at least 1,000 minutes.
Las Vegas Aces
Picks: No. 13, 35
Structural Need: A wing.
Las Vegas did not replace Alysha Clark, who left to join the Storm. Alabama’s Sarah Ashlee Barker’s versatility would be a boon to the Aces, whose defense took a step back in 2024. She is one of five listed guards in this year’s class with a block rate above 2.0% and a steal rate above 3.0%. (Coach Becky Hammon specifically sought out a defensive-minded assistant this offseason. She landed on Ty Ellis, who is known for his Hexagon defense and has worked with USA Basketball’s men’s teams over the last eight years.)
Atlanta Dream
Picks: No. 18, 36
Structural Need: Bench shooting threats.
Even with Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray, the Dream ranked 11th in three-point shooting percentage last season (30.8%). Floor spacing will be even more important with the additions of Brittney Griner and Bri Jones, as well as three-happy coach Karl Smesko. Atlanta could look to Alabama combo guard Aaliyah Nye, one of three players in the country to attempt more than 200 threes and shoot 45.5% or better from beyond the arc. Her marksmanship is no blip: She shot over 40% from deep in each of her three seasons at Alabama. Another potential target, perhaps later in the draft, is South Carolina’s three-and-D guard Bree Hall. She shot 38.4% from deep in her final two seasons in Columbia and Staley said Hall was on her “all-time defensive team.”
Indiana Fever
Picks: No. 19, 20, 33
Luxury Need: International stashes.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as What Every Team Needs and the Best Fits Ahead of the 2025 WNBA Draft .
