The 2025 WNBA Draft Lottery is in the books, and the Dallas Wings won the No. 1 overall pick and the right to select UConn star Paige Bueckers. Rounding out the lottery were the Los Angeles Sparks, Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics.
The Sparks had the best individual odds to win the lottery (44.2%), but the Wings had swap rights with the Sky’s first-round pick this year via the Marina Mabrey trade. Thus, they would receive the top pick if either they or the Sky won the lottery, and the combined chances of that happening (45.4%) were slightly higher. In the end, that’s just what happened.
Bueckers was named Naismith Player of the Year as a freshman, but played just 17 total games the next two seasons due to an array of injuries, including an osteochondral defect on her ankle that required surgery, a tibial plateau fracture, a torn meniscus and a torn ACL.
Bueckers finally returned to full health last season, and quickly reminded everyone that she is a generational talent. She put up 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.4 blocks per game as she led the shorthanded Huskies to the Final Four and earned Big East Player of the Year and First-Team All-American honors. Through three games this season, she’s putting up similar numbers and shooting an astounding 65% from the field.
While Bueckers is a level above everyone in this class, she’s not the only intriguing prospect. USC’s Kiki Iriafen, Notre LSU’s Aneesah Morrow and Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron are all potential lottery picks from the college ranks who have exhausted their eligibility. Other players to keep an eye on include Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles, UConn’s Azzi Fudd and UCLA’s Lauren Betts, all of whom could return to school. Furthermore, international players such as France’s Dominique Malonga and Slovenia’s Ajsa Sivka could crash the first round.
