wnba draft
The 2025 WNBA draft was polarizing for basketball fans all around the world. Players like Paige Bueckers, 18-year-old six foot-six French gold medalist Dominique Malonga, and USC star Kiki Iriafen headlined the class. The first round saw nine of the 12 picks acquired by trades.
First round
1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers, UConn
Bueckers was the consensus number-one overall pick before her college season even began. She is the total package that will pair nicely with Wings star Arike Ogunbowale, and offseason acquisition Dijonai Carrington who won 2024 Most Improved Player.
2. Seattle Storm (via Los Angeles Sparks): Dominique Malonga, France She offers great size for the Storm at 6 '6, along with youth. She will be only 19 years old when the season starts. Malonga is not only a post player but also has outside shooting ability and stellar defense. She will look to be a plug-and-play piece on day one for the Storm. 3. Washington Mystics (via Chicago Sky): Sonia Citron, Notre Dame Citron is an all-around player. She appeared on the all-defensive team in college and offered 14.1 PPG in her senior year on a very talented Notre Dame team. She will play a vital role on both ends of the court for a young Mystics squad.
4. Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen, USC
The 6 '3 21-year-old forward offers major upside for the Mystics. She gives them size and offensive ability. She showed her ability with USC by averaging 18 PPG and 18.4 RPG for the Trojans. She also showed the ability to take over games with a 36-point performance in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
5. Golden State Valkyries: Juste Jocyte, Lithuania
The Valkyries shocked many as they took Jocyte. She is a sharpshooting guard who offers experience as she has been playing professionally in Lithuania since she was 14. Jocyte will look to make an immediate impact as the Valkyrie's first-ever pick in franchise history. 6. Washington Mystics (via Atlanta Dream): Georgia Amoore, Kentucky Amoore offers a bit of everything on the offensive end. She can shoot, facilitate, and finish inside over larger defenders. The fear for her is her height. She is only 5’5 which could lead to issues on the defensive end, as well as inside the paint against more talented defenders. She will look to make an immediate impact on a rebuilding mystics team along with fellow first-round picks Kiki Iriafen and, and Sonia Citron.
7. Connecticut Sun (via Phoenix Mercury): Aneesah Morrow, LSU
Morrow has among the highest upside in the class. She is an elite rebounder as she led the country with 13.5 RPG and 30 double-doubles in 2025. She averaged 18.7 PPG for LSU last season. Her shooting ability is a question mark, but she provides enough prowess in other areas to make up for that if her jumper does not translate to the WNBA.
8. Connecticut Sun (via Indiana Fever): Saniya Rivers, NC State
Rivers gives the Sun depth as she is a versatile guard. She does a little bit of everything without doing anything exceptional. She will look to act as a replacement for Dijonai Carrington, who was shipped off to Dallas in the offseason.
9. Los Angeles Sparks (via Seattle Storm): Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama Barker offers scoring prowess and coachability for the Sparks. She averaged 18.2 PPG 6.3 RPG, and 3.9 APG. She showed the ability to improve her game every year in college. She was
widely mocked outside of the first round, but a 45-point March Madness performance helped immensely to improve her stock.
10. Chicago Sky (via Connecticut Sun): Ajsa Sivka, Slovenia
Sivka is a 6’4 19-year-old who also offers the ability to shoot. She will look to be a complimentary piece for 2025 unrivaled defensive player of the year Angel Reese. She has major upside, but it could take some time to tap into that upside. She should be given ample time with the rebuilding Sky team.
11. Chicago Sky (via Minnesota Lynx): Hailey Van Lith, TCU
Van Lith offers scoring ability from all three levels for the Sky. She will look to take some pressure off of Angel Reese, who she played with in 2023-2024. She offers the ability to shoot beyond the ark. She averaged 17.9PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 5.4 APG, and should soak up valuable knowledge from veteran guard Courtney Vandersloot in Chicago.
12. Dallas Wings (via New York Liberty): Aziaha James, NC State
Many believe that Dallas got a steal with this pick as James was widely mocked to go higher than her former Wolfpack teammate Saniya Rivers. James offers a very high ceiling offensively. She has shown the ability to shoot efficiently from all over the floor. James can offer a spark off the bench to allow star players like Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers, and Dijonai Carrington to stay fresh down the stretch.
Second round
1. Las Vegas Aces (via Los Angeles Sparks): Aaliyah Nye, Alabama
2. Dallas Wings: Madison Scott, Mississippi
3. Minnesota Lynx (via Chicago Sky): Anastasiia Olairi Kosu, Russia
4: Chicago Sky (via Washington Mystics): Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame 5: Golden State Valkyries: Shyanne Sellers, Maryland
6: Atlanta Dream: Te-Hina PaoPao, South Carolina
7: Indiana Fever (via Phoenix Mercury): Makayla Timpson, Florida State 8: Indiana Fever: Bree Hall, South Carolina
9: Los Angeles Sparks (via Seattle Storm): Sania Feagin, South Carolina 10: Chicago Sky (via Las Vegas Aces): Aicha Coulibaly, Texas A&M
11: Washington Mystics (via Connecticut Sun); Lucy Olsen, Iowa
12: Minnesota Lynx: Dalayah Daniels, Washington
13: Connecticut Sun: Rayah Marshall, USC
Third round
1. Seattle Storm (via Los Angeles Sparks); Serena Sundell, Kansas State 2. Dallas Wings: JJ Quinerly, West Virginia
3. Los Angeles Sparks: Liatu King, Notre Dame
4. Seattle Storm (from Washington Mystics): Madison Conner, TCU
5. Golden State Valkyries: Kaitlyn Chen, UConn
6. Dallas Wings: Aaronette Vonleh, Baylor
7. Washington Mystics (from Phoenix Mercury): Zaay Green, Alabama
8. Indiana Fever: Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga
9. Seattle Storm: Jordan Hobbs, Michigan
10. Las Vegas Aces: Harmoni Turner, Harvard
11. Atlanta Dream (via Connecticut Su): Taylor Thierry, Ohio State 12: Minnesota Lynx: Aubrey Griffin, UConn
13: New York Liberty: Adja Kane, France
Mason Garcia
DiSportsPhotoAgency
Associate Writer
