The WNBA’s newest teams, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, will get the sixth and seventh overall pick in the 2026 draft. Which team gets which pick will come down to a coin flip. The team that wins the sixth overall pick is lucky. One of the top prospects in the draft—Azzi Fudd, Awa Fam, Olivia Miles, Lauren Betts, Flau’jae Johnson, or Ta’Niya Latson—will still be available at number six, sending a potential future All-Star to an expansion team.
Since the 2026 draft is pretty deep, the other team will still get a solid young player to develop, or could take a swing on a high upside player like French teenager Nell Angloma.
UCLA guard Gianna Kneepkens would be the perfect draft pick at number seven for either expansion team. She would be able to contribute right away and could seamlessly fit next to a young star if either team expects to have a high draft pick in 2027 or 2028 to land someone like JuJu Watkins or Sarah Strong.
Gianna Kneepkens would be a solid pick for the present and the future
Gianna Kneepkens is one of the best 3-point shooters in this draft class. Over her first thirteen games at UCLA, she shot 44.2% from three on 5.9 attempts per game. This is her fourth season shooting over 40% from three. Kneepkens is more than just a 3-point shooter, though. She can also score efficiently from two-point range, rebound, defend well, and make some plays for her teammates.
Kneepkens looks like she will be a great connector at the WNBA level—a high-end role player who does a bit of everything and complements the team’s stars well. That type of player can usually fit into any kind of system, which would make finding minutes for her easy while the Tempo or Fire build an identity and system from the ground up.
It is unlikely that both teams will follow in the Valkyries’ footsteps and make the playoffs right away. Considering how good the top of the next two drafts will be, it isn’t far-fetched to expect the expansion teams to at least consider chasing a lottery pick. If that is the case, Kneepkens would be a great young player to have next to whoever that pick turns into. With her ability to space the floor and do a bit of everything else, Kneepkens should be able to thrive next to anyone.
Kneepkens may not turn into a big-time star like some of the other players in her draft class, but she would be a solid first draft selection for whichever team lands the seventh overall pick.