The WNBA announced the date, time and location of the upcoming draft in a release on Monday. The 2018 WNBA Draft will be held April 12 at Nike New York Headquarters. The first round of the draft will begin at 7 PM EST on ESPN2. The draft coverage will shift over to ESPNU at 8 PM EST for the second and third rounds. All three rounds of the draft also can be streamed live on the ESPN App.
WNBA President Lisa Borders said the following in Monday’s release:
"We are thrilled that the WNBA Draft 2018 presented by State Farm will take place at the recently opened Nike New York Headquarters. This is all part of our newly expanded partnership with Nike, a brand that believes in equality and the empowerment of women. The draft is a pivotal moment for the players who will be selected. For basketball fans, it is that moment when they see their favorite team’s roster taking shape with the tip-off of the new season right around the corner."
The Nike New York Headquarters opened June 2017 and feature a 4,000 square foot court, which will serve as the backdrop for ESPN’s broadcast of the event. The draft will not be open to the public.
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The Las Vegas Aces hold the first overall pick. The Chicago Sky hold the third and fourth overall picks, the former coming via a 2017 midseason trade with the Atlanta Dream that also involved Imani McGee-Stafford, Tamera Young, Jordan Hooper and Chicago’s 2018 second round pick.
The bottom of the first round was shaken up recently after a pair of trades built around veteran point guards. The Minnesota Lynx acquired Danielle Robinson from the Phoenix Mercury in exchange for their 2018 first round pick (12th overall).
The Mercury then send their own 2018 first rounder (8th overall) to the Indiana Fever for Briann January:
Phoenix Mercury acquire Briann January in trade with Fever
The Phoenix Mercury have acquire point guard Briann January from the Indiana Fever in exchange for their 2018 first round draft pick.
You can view the full draft order and see Howard Megdal’s mock draft for all three rounds in The Summitt’s latest WNBA Mock Draft Big Board.