2025 WNBA Draft Preview: Each team’s needs and how will they combat the transfer portal?

Heading into the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday, the question isn’t who will go first overall. Instead, the bigger question is: will teams be able to fulfill their positional needs?

Paige Bueckers is all but a lock for first, but teams picking after the Dallas Wings have a less certain path forward.

As college teams were eliminated from the March Madness tournament over the last few weeks, a trend emerged. Star players like Olivia Miles—who was expected to go No. 2 overall—didn’t declare for the WNBA, instead they entered the transfer portal.

The transfer portal is attractive because it offers players who fell short of the championship another shot with potentially a stronger squad. Athletes with eligibility remaining are also drawn to stay in school because the W is preparing a new CBA, one that is bound to boost rookie contracts starting in 2026.

This year’s draft, then, looks a little different. International players who showed their dominance at the 2024 Paris Olympics are breaking onto the scene, and teams are pushing their scouting past the college level as they look for players who’ve been dominant on the world stage.

Three teams hold five draft picks, two have multiple picks in the top eight, and still others have only one or even none. The Golden State Valkyries, in their inaugural season, need a star to rally behind, and teams like the Washington Mystics are desperate for a rebuild.

With brilliant talent up for grabs, will each team leave the draft with what they need? Here’s a look:

Atlanta Dream
Draft picks: No. 18, 36

With no first round pick this year—after trading theirs to the Mystics in 2022—the Dream don’t have much to work with. The biggest need is bench buckets, but their hopes of actually solving this problem can’t be too high based on where they’ll be picking. The easiest solution is for current stars like Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada to start performing, especially considering they lost Tina Charles, one of their top scoring leaders, in the off-season.

Chicago Sky
Draft picks: No. 10, 16, 22

Chicago had their choice of talent at last year’s draft when their two first-round picks brought them Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. In 2025, they need to keep bringing in top players, but this time, of the guard variety. If Georgia Amoore falls to the Sky, she would be an excellent fit coming off a strong season with the Kentucky Wildcats, where she averaged 19.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 6.9 assists.

Connecticut Sun
Draft picks: No. 7, 8, 25

The Sun are entering a rebuild so what they can do with these two consecutive first rounders will dictate their trajectory for years to come. After going to Game 5 of the WNBA semifinals last season, the Sun lost their entire starting lineup and coach during free agency. The draft on Monday is a fresh start, and North Carolina State star shooting guard Aziaha James is a good option for a blank slate. She’s devolved her perimeter shooting considerably in recent years, and with an average of 17.9 points in the college game, she can bring buckets to a team in great need. After James, the Sun could look at Ajsa Sivka, a point forward from Slovenia. The 19-year-old already has solid international pro experience, but could be a risky option for a team needing players right away, considering her commitments overseas.

Dallas Wings
Draft picks: No. 1, 12, 14, 27, 31

All that matters for the Dallas Wings is that they’re getting Paige Bueckers. They need a strong point guard and who better to fill that void than a Wade Trophy winner and national champion. Dallas can build around Bueckers with recent strategic free agency pickups DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith, and Tyasha Harris. The Wings are in the perfect spot for a rebuild with a franchise player in their grasp and are tied for the most picks this draft.

Golden State Valkyries
Draft picks: No. 5, 17, 30

It will be a tough first season for the Golden State Valkyries. After the expansion draft, their hopes for top players lay in their ability to get deals done during free agency and they struggled. Without a star to lead the new squad, they need to start looking for one at this year’s draft. In what will be a hard first season, because that’s the nature of the expansion beast, Golden State needs a player for fans to rally behind, and their best shot is Aneesha Morrow. The small forward from LSU brings aggression in the paint as the D1 rebounding and double-doubles leader; she’s exactly the force Golden State needs when starting their franchise.

Indiana Fever
Draft picks: No. 19, 20, 33

There’s not much the Indiana Fever need. They have the last two Rookies of the Year in Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, and after signings in the off-season, they have two veteran WNBA champions in Sydney Colson and Natasha Howard. Considering the Fever don’t have a first-round pick, this roster will be a hard one for any of their three selections to make. What the Fever could use is some top international talent they can draft and stash until they have more room on the bench.

Las Vegas Aces
Draft picks: No. 13, 35

With the very last first-round pick, the Aces have the chance to grab a powerful shooter that can add depth to their veteran roster. After losing a fan favourite rookie in Kate Martin during the expansion draft, this squad needs another youngster on whom to impart their wisdom. Te-Hina Paopao and her country, leading 46.8 3-point percentage, might just be the perfect fit.

Los Angeles Sparks
Draft picks: No. 9, 21, 28

The Sparks gave up the second overall pick in an off-season trade that landed Kelsey Plum. Now that fiery WNBA champion needs young talent with her same fervor for winning and playmaking. Who better than Hailey Van Lith—a player with the same intensity and dedication—to join her in L.A.? Van Lith powered TCU to their first ever Elite Eight berth, showing a level of playmaking and grit the Sparks will need in years to come, especially since they have a number of top players on expiring deals.  

Minnesota Lynx
Draft picks: No. 11, 15, 24, 37

The Lynx come off of a solid postseason run where they lost the finals in Game 5. They’ve had a quiet off-season without much turnover and at this draft, they’ll simply be looking to add more bench depth and prepare for another run at the championship.

New York Liberty
Draft picks: No. 38

It’s almost as if the reigning champs don’t have any draft picks. It’s not often that third-rounders make WNBA rosters, so with the very last pick of the draft, it’s likely that the Liberty won’t have a fresh face in the lineup in May.

Phoenix Mercury
Draft picks: None

The Mercury are out of cards to play. They were forced to make a gamble in the off-season after losing six of their top players (Brittney Griner, Natasha Cloud, Sophie Cunningham, Rebecca Allen, Monique Billings, and Diana Taurasi) and signing four new ones (Alyssa Thomas, Satou Sabally, Kalani Brown, and Sami Whitcomb). After inking the two hottest free agents available in Thomas and Sabally, it’s time to see if going all in will pay off. With only one player who has averaged more than five points per game last season returning, can they dominate with the superstars they’ve secured, or will their roster be lacking without new young talent?   

Seattle Storm
Draft picks: No. 2, 26, 29, 32, 34

After Jewell Loyd requested a trade, the Storm started searching for the best possible return. The Sparks’ second overall pick looked like a great choice, especially with Notre Dame’s Olivia Miles as the plausible option in that spot. But when the Fighting Irish left the madness after a loss to TCU in the Sweet Sixteen, Miles had other plans. She entered the transfer portal and ended up with the very team that sent her home early. And the Storm, they’re now left holding the pieces.

In Miles’ place, France’s 19-year-old Dominique Malonga looks like the next best option at No. 2 after her dominant performance in the Olympics last summer and a dunk in France’s top professional league in November.

Washington Mystics
Draft picks: No. 3, 4, 6, 23, 32

Tied for the most picks in the 2025 draft, and with the most in the first round, the Mystics need spectacular options, and unfortunately, that just isn’t the state of the class. With so many college players opting to stay in school and enter the transfer portal, the pickings look a lot different. All this doesn’t mean the Mystics are completely out of options, Kiki Iriafen with her average of 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds is still a stellar pick at third overall, and Notre Dame’s Sonia Citron’s defensive prowess makes her a great option for fourth.

More from Sportsnet

WNBA Mock Draft: Who goes after Bueckers?

Malonga among players to watch during WNBA draft after Bueckers goes No. 1