If you ask ESPN, Lauren Betts is heading to the Dallas Wings next year. Though the 2026 WNBA Draft order has not officially been set, the Wings are heading into next year with the best odds of landing the No. 1 overall pick for the second year in a row, and the UCLA star is entering the 2025-26 NCAA season at the top of nearly every mock draft that's been published ahead of the start of the regular season.
Betts helped lead the UCLA Bruins to the Final Four last year, the program's first visit for the first time in the NCAA era. The Bruins went down 85-51 to UConn and will have plenty of reasons to enter into this season hungry and ready to prove that they deserve a repeat trip. This is also Betts' final year playing college basketball, and she is likely to continue to build on what has already been a storied career.
Betts would certainly bring a lot to the Wings, but she may have to adjust her game a bit to be truly ready for the WNBA. Though the 6'7" center is a strong player who is nearly impossible to guard, she doesn't shoot a lot of 3-pointers — something that may become a problem for her down the road.
A lot has to happen before the Draft can take place
Of course, a lot has to happen well before the 2026 WNBA Draft can take place. For starters, the league's current players and leadership need to come to a new CBA agreement that everyone is happy with, something that feels increasingly impossible as the parties enter into a 30-day extension after missing the initial October 31 deadline.
Once a CBA signed, the WNBA will hold two Expansion Drafts for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, and will also enter into a period of free agency that will see 96% of the league's players available to either be approached by or approach other teams. Free agency threatens to disrupt the WNBA as many fans (and players) know it, especially as free agents explore the amenities and possibilities that might be available elsewhere.
Assuming all of that happens, the WNBA will hold its regular draft after the conclusion of the Final Four. In addition to Betts, potential first-round picks also include Azzi Fudd (UConn), Olivia Miles (TCU), Flau'jae Johnson (LSU), Ta'Niya Latson (South Carolina), and European Awa Fam.