The draft order is largely set—it’s still unclear in which order the Tempo and Fire will pick at six and seven—but the lottery did little to make the draft more predictable. Some people expect the Wings to draft Awa Fam, others are looking forward to the Wings reuniting Paige Bueckers with Azzi Fudd, and yet others believe that Lauren Betts is the best choice for Dallas. Since there is no consensus top pick, the rest of the first round is also unpredictable.
Betts’s standing is especially difficult to predict. Her size, rim protection, and skill around the basket make her an interesting prospect. The Wings need a frontcourt boost and the Lynx could use Betts’s size behind Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith. So, Betts could be a top two pick, but there’s also a world in which she falls out of the lottery and goes to one of the expansion teams, depending on what teams are looking for. After all, three of the five lottery teams already used high picks to draft bigs in the last couple of years.
Could Lauren Betts fall out of the lottery?
If Lauren Betts falls out of the lottery, it will be because of team needs, not a lack of talent or potential. If the Wings or Lynx don’t select Betts with their picks, she could drop quickly. The Storm already drafted Dominique Malonga in the 2025 draft, and, so far, she hasn’t been a real 3-point threat in the WNBA, which would make pairing her and Betts difficult. Plus, the Storm likely hope to re-sign Nneka Ogwumike and Ezi Magbegor. The dream pick for Seattle would be Olivia Miles, but Azzi Fudd and her 3-point shooting would also be a nice fit.
Washington has the fourth overall pick and could go in many different directions with it. The Mystics drafted Shakira Austin in 2022 and Kiki Iriafen in 2025. They made for a talented frontcourt duo this season. Adding to that frontcourt wouldn’t be a bad move, especially if the Mystics fear that Austin wants to move on eventually, but the 2026 WNBA Draft also offers the opportunity to draft a player who can replicate the kind of on-ball creation and scoring Brittney Sykes brought to the team before being traded to Seattle. So, the Mystics could very well choose Flau’jae Johnson or Ta’Niya Latson over Betts.
Chicago holds the final lottery pick. They drafted Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese in 2024. Adding another star-level big when there are still guards on the board wouldn’t make much sense for the Sky.
If Betts falls out of the lottery, one of the expansion teams will surely draft her. They will be looking for the best talent available, and Betts is the kind of player an expansion team can comfortably build around.