Michael Voepel
While the WNBA’s labor negotiations grind on, some of the league’s business continues. The 2026 draft lottery will be held Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Four of the league’s five head coaching vacancies have been filled except for one: the New York Liberty. The Dallas Wings, who have the highest odds (44%) of getting the No. 1 pick, hired longtime South Florida coach Jose Fernandez in late October.
His USF program had extensive recruiting contacts in Europe — 12 of the 14 players on the Bulls roster for 2024-25 hailed from outside of the United States — and we’ve tilted our projected top pick in ESPN’s latest WNBA mock draft in that direction, too. Center Awa Fam of Spain moves up to No. 1 in this edition. After the lottery establishes the top-five order, we will update the mock draft again Sunday night.
One of the other most notable changes: Four players from No. 3 UCLA are now projected first-round picks.
Spain | center | 6-foot-4
Fam’s agent told ESPN that competing in the WNBA is her “top priority” for 2026. She currently plays for Valencia in Spain and will turn 20 in June. Her potential seems very high, and she could be another key building block for the Wings to add after 2025 No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers was WNBA Rookie of the Year last season.
UCLA | center | 6-foot-7 | senior
Betts is still in the mix as the No. 1 pick, which is where we had her in our first 2026 mock draft last month. A first-team All-American last season, she currently is averaging 15.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.2 blocks while shooting 59.6% from the field for the No. 3 Bruins.
TCU | point guard | 5-foot-10 | senior
Miles, a transfer from Notre Dame playing her final college season at TCU, has been just what the No. 10 Horned Frogs needed. She is averaging 17.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists and appears to be the top point guard pick among college seniors.
UConn | shooting guard | 5-foot-11 | senior
Last season, Fudd averaged 13.6 points and shot 43.6% from beyond the arc for the national champions. This season for the No. 1 Huskies, she is averaging 17.8 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 45.2% from 3-point range. With her elite shooting, Fudd could go higher.
LSU | shooting guard | 5-foot-10 | senior
The guard-heavy Tigers will showcase Johnson’s ability to run the court this season. She is averaging 17.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists for No. 5 LSU. The Tigers’ soft nonconference schedule hasn’t challenged them, but Johnson already has proved herself in three years of SEC play.
South Carolina | shooting guard | 5-foot-8 | senior
The WNBA hasn’t said in what order the two expansion teams will pick; for now we have the Tempo here and the Portland Fire at No. 7. Latson led Division I in scoring at 25.2 PPG last season with Florida State. Now in a more balanced offense with No. 2 South Carolina, she is averaging 17.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Her 44.4% shooting from 3-point range is from too small a sample size (4-of-9) to judge it yet, but that would be a big step if she maintains it.
Ole Miss | small forward | 6-foot | senior
After three years at Ohio State, where her 16.5 PPG was a career high last season, she is now with the No. 13 Rebels and averaging 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. McMahon can help herself by showing defensive improvement, and Ole Miss is a good place to do that.
UCLA | shooting guard | 5-foot-11 | senior
Kneepkens’ greatest skill is stretching defenses with her 3-point shooting. She is currently at a career-low 34.5% from beyond the arc, but her history (playing previously at Utah) suggests that will go up. She is averaging 14.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
UConn | power forward | 6-foot-4 | senior
Williams went from being the star on a 13-17 team (19.2 PPG and 9.8 RPG for Wisconsin last season) to finishing her career with the talent-rich No. 1 Huskies. Her stats will drop, but her draft stock will rise with a program that regularly puts players into the WNBA. She is averaging 8.8 points and 4.0 rebounds for UConn.
South Carolina | center | 6-foot-6 | senior
Okot, who is from Kenya, transferred to spend her final season with the Gamecocks, and has fit in well. She leads South Carolina in rebounding (10.6) and blocks (2.0) while averaging 13.2 points. She is a more of a traditional center, but there is still a place for those players in the WNBA, especially if they defend well.
UCLA | shooting guard | 6-foot | senior
Jaquez is off to a strong start for the Bruins, averaging a team-high 15.6 points plus 7.8 rebounds (tied with Betts for the team lead) and 2.4 assists while shooting 47.4% from beyond the arc. Jaquez became a full-time starter for UCLA last season and should help her draft position if she continues her 3-point shooting improvement.
Spain | point guard | 5-foot-8
In April, she was named Young Player of the Year for her EuroLeague debut season with Perfumerias Avenida. Fam’s teammate on the Spanish national team, Martin Carrion also helped that squad advance to the EuroBasket championship game this summer. She turns 20 in January.
Tennessee | power forward | 6-foot-4 | senior
Barker previously played for Texas A&M and UCLA, and will finish her college career at No. 15 Tennessee. Her skill set at her size has long interested WNBA evaluators, but she will have to show consistency through this season. She is averaging 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds for the Lady Vols.
14. Seattle Storm: Kiki Rice
UCLA | point guard | 5-foot-11 | senior
As good as the Bruins were last season in reaching the Final Four, they could be better this season. Rice is averaging 13.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Some improvement in 3-point shooting — she’s currently at 30.8% — will help. Last season, she shot a career-best 36.5% from beyond the arc.
15. Connecticut Sun: Nell Angloma
France | small forward | 5-foot-11
Sun coach Rachid Meziane of France is, of course, familiar with Angloma, who plays for Basket Lattes Montpellier Agglomeration (BMLA). Angloma averaged 17.0 points and 5.5 rebounds for France in the U19 Women’s World Cup this summer. She turns 20 in June.
