The Houston Comets were the heartbeat of the WNBA for the first few years of the league’s existence. They won four consecutive titles between 1997 and 2000 before folding in 2008.
One reason for Houston’s overwhelming success was their trio of Sheryl Swoopes, Cynthia Cooper, and Tina Thompson. The Comets landed Swoopes and Cooper in the initial player allocation. However, because Swoopes was pregnant and had to postpone her debut, they also got the number-one pick in the college draft that year. They drafted Tina Thompson, a forward out of USC. Thompson went on to make nine All-Star appearances and receive eight All-WNBA honors over her WNBA career.
Now, the Comets are coming back, as the Connecticut Sun is moving to Houston ahead of the 2027 season. The Comets are tied with the Toronto Tempo for the best odds in the draft lottery on Sunday. If they win, they will have a chance to draft JuJu Watkins: a forward out of USC, who promises to grow into the best player on a WNBA title contender.
There’s a catch
The only problem here is that JuJu Watkins might not even be in the 2027 WNBA Draft. Watkins, who missed all of last season after suffering an ACL tear in the 2025 NCAA tournament, can return to USC for another season if she so chooses.
Many things could factor into Watkins’s decision. For one, if the Trojans don’t win a national championship this year, she might want to give it another shot with a more experienced Jazzy Davidson and Saniyah Hall by her side. Or, she simply might not want to go to whatever franchise gets the number-one pick in next year’s draft.
Watkins chose a college in her hometown, hoping to take USC to the top. If she wants to do the same as a pro, the Los Angeles Sparks would be the perfect destination. While the Sparks have been pretty bad and have two first-round picks, their lottery odds are not great compared to Houston, Toronto, Washington, and Seattle. If they tank in the 2027 season—which would be very advisable, no matter the outcome of this year’s draft lottery—the Sparks will have a pretty good shot at a top pick in the 2028 WNBA Draft.
How badly Watkins wants to be the number-one pick might factor into her decision as well. If she declares for 2027, she will go first overall. If she waits a year, she might be competing with Sarah Strong for that honor.
Winning the number-one pick would be a great way for the Comets to start their revival, but they might not know whether they will get Watkins or not until shortly before the draft.
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