Grading every 2026 WNBA first-round draft pick from Azzi Fudd to Lauren Betts

Grading every 2026 WNBA first-round draft pick from Azzi Fudd to Lauren Betts

The Dallas Wings made UConn star Azzi Fudd the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft on Monday night, reuniting Fudd with her former Huskies teammate Paige Bueckers in the process.

Without a clear-cut No. 1 pick on the board, the selection of Fudd was just the start of a fascinating first round that included twists and turns, a puzzler or two, and even a trade — the Golden State Valkyries dealt No. 8 overall pick Flau’jae Johnson to Seattle for Marta Suárez and a future second-round pick.

Let’s break down how every team did with pick-by-pick grades from the first round.

1. Dallas Wings: Azzi Fudd, guard, UConn

Grade: B

Fudd is the seventh UConn player to go No. 1, and she becomes just the third mother-daughter duo to have a WNBA connection. Fudd’s mother Katie Fudd (then Katie Smrcka Duffy) was the No. 62 pick in 2001. She never suited up, but it’s still incredible to have that kind of an intra-family connection for WNBA players. — Chantel Jennings

2. Minnesota Lynx: Olivia Miles, guard, TCU

Grade: A-

Miles has the potential to be a generational passer in the WNBA and joins a roster that already has a generational player in Napheesa Collier. The last time the Lynx built around a true PG (in Lindsay Whalen), the franchise won four WNBA titles in seven seasons. Does Miles have that potential? Frankly, it’s hard to know how many teams (outside of Las Vegas, currently) have the potential to do that in this era of the game, but she does get to team up with Whalen, who’s now an assistant for the Lynx. — Jennings

3. Seattle Storm: Awa Fam Thiam, center, Valencia Basket, Spain

Grade: A

Fam Thiam could be the best player in this class within five years, and the Storm have the time to wait. Even if Dallas may have passed on Fam Thiam because of a positional logjam, Seattle displayed no such concerns. She will join Dominique Malonga and Ezi Magbegor in the Storm frontcourt, and the collection of length and athleticism could be terrifying. It will be interesting to see how Seattle puts the pieces together. — Sabreena Merchant

4. Washington Mystics: Lauren Betts, center, UCLA

Grade: B+

The Mystics continue to build young, and Betts is a terrific player to add to a roster that likely will be one of the youngest in the WNBA. Getting heavy minutes early will allow her to continue building on the last few months, in which her play really went to another level. She’ll be reunited with former Stanford teammate Kiki Iriafen and — not sure how many times this has happened in the past — but also with her college assistant coach Michaela Onyenwere, who signed with the Mystics this weekend. — Jennings

5. Chicago Sky: Gabriela Jaquez, guard, UCLA

Grade: B

Jaquez was barely on draft boards heading into her senior season and is now a WNBA lottery pick. She has bragging rights over her brother Jaime by winning a national title, and also over several of her UCLA teammates for getting drafted ahead of them. Chicago needed some help on the wing, and Jaquez fits a positional need even if she might not have the most upside of any of the players on the board. No one is better than Jaquez as a culture-setter thanks to her motor and positive attitude. If her shooting gets back to early-season levels, this is a steal for the Sky. Even if it doesn’t, Jaquez does well enough for this to be a solid pick. — Merchant

6. Toronto Tempo: Kiki Rice, guard, UCLA

Grade: B+

Toronto had a need at point guard, and it’s filling that with UCLA’s Kiki Rice. The 5-foot-11 national champ is a solid point guard who does everything really well and comes into the league after having a career season in her final year at UCLA. Teaming up with veteran WNBA coach Sandy Brondello is great news for Rice as she transitions to the pro game, because there’s nothing Brondello hasn’t seen and she’ll be an excellent developer and sounding board for the rookie. — Jennings

7. Portland Fire: Iyana Martín Carrión, guard, Club Baloncesto Avenida, Spain

Grade: B+

The Fire have an international general manager and head coach, went international in the expansion draft with Bridget Carleton, and now go international with their first WNBA Draft pick. Martín Carrión has been awesome at junior FIBA events, including an MVP performance at the 2023 U-19 World Cup. Portland’s roster isn’t set up to win this season, so this is a good developmental opportunity for Martín and a strong upside play for the Fire. — Merchant

8. Golden State Valkyries: Flau’jae Johnson, guard, LSU

Trade alert: The pick itself earned Golden State an A grade, but that grade became moot when the Valkyries later traded Johnson to Seattle for TCU forward Marta Suárez and a 2028 second-round pick. Here’s what The Athletic wrote about the deal: “Love this for Seattle, getting a lot more upside in Johnson without having to give up a first. Golden State has been an international hub in its short WNBA tenure, which makes the Suárez acquisition in line with the front office’s pattern. Not sure the asset play is totally worth it for the Valkyries, but fit matters!” — Jennings

9. Washington Mystics: Angela Dugalić, forward, UCLA

Grade: B-

Dugalić is a great fit next to Betts, her teammate again in Washington, but there were many great — and younger — players left on the board, including the South Carolina duo of Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson. The Mystics clearly don’t have a problem with older rookies after selecting Georgia Amoore in the first round last season. Dugalić adds size and defense to the roster, but maybe not as much upside as another player. — Merchant

10. Indiana Fever: Raven Johnson, guard, South Carolina

Grade: A-

Indiana doesn’t have any massive holes on its roster, so at this point in the draft, the Fever were going to go with best available. The fact that the best player they saw who was still available is also a talented, defensively-driven point guard? Perfect. She gives Indiana another ballhandler who can take on pressure, and is coming off a season shooting career highs from the floor and beyond the 3-point line. — Jennings

11. Washington Mystics: Cotie McMahon, forward, Ole Miss

Grade: B-

Ta’Niya Latson seemed like the right pick here. The comparisons to Alyssa Thomas are simultaneously optimistic and also indicate how challenging it could be to build a team around McMahon, given her specific skill set as a ballhandling forward. The Mystics don’t really have to worry about fit right now in this stage of their rebuild, so they have a runway to figure out how this all works. — Merchant

12. Connecticut Sun: Nell Angloma, forward, Basket Lattes Montpellier Association, France

Grade: B

Angloma is a strong, big wing who seems to fit the mold for what Connecticut coach Rachid Meziane has wanted to build this team. The 19-year-old gets to learn from vets like Brittney Griner as well as young talent like Aaliyah Edwards and Aneesah Morrow. — Jennings

13. Atlanta Dream: Madina Okot, center, South Carolina

Grade: B

The Dream love their South Carolina players, as Okot joins Allisha Gray and Te-Hina Paopao (all three Gamecocks transfers) in Atlanta. Okot may have been a little too quick to settle for jumpers at South Carolina, but she’ll need to get more comfortable with those to play for Karl Smesko. Okot was hoping to remain in college for one more season, so she’ll need some time to develop. The Dream have a deep enough roster to allow for that. — Merchant

14. Seattle Storm: Taina Mair, guard, Duke

Grade: D

Not really understanding why Seattle felt the need to use its 14th pick on Mair, as she would’ve been available later, almost certainly when the Storm had its next pick … at 16. Given the exodus in Seattle, adding a player like Gianna Kneepkens would’ve made a ton of sense as a floor spreader, or even going with a more score-first point guard like Ta’Niya Latson. This is the first head-scratcher of the night. — Jennings

15. Connecticut Sun: Gianna Kneepkens, guard, UCLA

Grade: A

UCLA gets its fifth first-rounder, matching the most players ever selected from one school in WNBA Draft history. After building an athletic roster that is spacing challenged, the Sun finally have a shooter, and one of the very best in college basketball over the last five years. Kneepkens will be shot-ready playing next to several willing Connecticut passers, including Saniya Rivers and Leïla Lacan. — Merchant

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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