The Dallas Wings won the Women’s National Basketball Association draft lottery on Nov. 17, granting the team the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft. According to most mock drafts, UConnâs star guard Paige Bueckers is projected to go first.
The Los Angeles Sparks will draft second, the Chicago Sky will receive the third pick, and the Washington Mystics will choose fourth. The lottery system is based on the 2023 and 2024 records of the four previously mentioned teams that did not make the playoffs in the 2024 season.
Out of 1,000 possible combinations, the Sparks went into the draft with 442, according to WNBA. The Sky and the Wings had 227, and the Mystics had 104. Due to a trade deal made in February 2023, Dallas had the rights to Chicagoâs first-round pick if they had won the lottery, giving the Wings a combined 45.4% chance of winning, compared to the Sparksâ 44.2%.
Before an ACL injury in the 2022-23 season, Bueckers was the most talked about NCAA womenâs basketball player. In 2021, she took home ESPNâs ESPY award for Best Female College Athlete.
That year, Bueckers was also named espnW Player and Freshman of the Year, the BIG EAST Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player, the BIG EAST Player and Freshman of the Year, NCAA Tournament River Walk Regionâs Most Outstanding Player, Womenâs Basketball Coaches Association Freshman of the Year, and U.S. Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Year.
Additionally, Bueckers received the Wooden Award and the Naismith Trophy and was the first freshman to be named the Associated Press Player of the Year.
She led UConn all the way to the NCAA Final Four vs. the University of Iowa in the most recent 2023-24 season. While playing as a redshirt junior, she was an academic senior. Bueckers chose not to join the 2024 WNBA draft class and stayed at UConn, using an extra year of eligibility from her injury. She wrote on Instagram, âI love wearing this jersey and everything that comes with it. I also havenât been wearing it for long enough⊠Run it back đ«¶đŒâ
Now, Bueckers seems to be headed to Dallas. If the Wings make the popular decision and draft Bueckers, she will play alongside Arike Ogunbowale. When the Wings won the lottery, the Dallas guard posted on X, writing, “I just fell to my knees. THANK YOU LORD! đđđđ.”
In a press conference after the lottery, Dallasâ new general manager, Curt Miller, shared his belief that âchampionships are won in the locker room.â While Miller stresses the importance of working with whoever is hired as head coach to draft the most fitting player, he also says, âAdding a culture piece⊠is gonna be such a big deal.â
From that standpoint, Bueckers seems to be a good pick.
âAnother good thing thatâs really important when it comes to Paige Bueckers, if she does go on to be this overall pick, sheâs a culture kid,â said ESPN analyst Andraya Carter post-lottery.
UConnâs womenâs basketball program is huge for the WNBA, having sent 45 Huskies into the league, including Maya Moore, Sue Bird, and Diana Taurasi. According to Fox Sports, 17 of those Huskies are currently playing. The team is led by the legendary coach Geno Auriemma, who broke the NCAA career wins record with 1,217 victories. Being in that environment since 2020 impacted Bueckers and likely added to what she could bring to her future team.
Bueckers could stay at UConn for another year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she still has one more year of eligibility, but it seems unlikely that she will do so, as she is currently in her fourth year of playing and at the top of the draft class.
The 2025 WNBA Draft will be held on Monday, April 14, and only time will tell where the UConn guard will play next year or who the Dallas Wings will draft with their No.1 pick.