THE The WNBA Draft Lottery took place on Sundayconfirming the order of the top five picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft. For the second year in a row, the Dallas Wings hold the top pick and will be able to choose from a pool of incredible talent. After them, Minnesota, Seattle, Washington and Chicago will be chosen.
This is also the second year in a row that Washington has ranked fourth. After that, they have the 9th overall pick and the 11th overall pick.
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In the 2025 draft, they selected Sonia Citron No. 3, Kiki Iriafen No. 4 and Georgia Amoore No. 6. In the second round, the Mystics drafted Lucy Olsen No. 11, and she ended up making the roster with their three first-round picks. Still, things got a little crowded on the Mystics roster during the season, even with Amoore out with an ACL injury. The Mystics have decided to trade their 2024 first-round pick, Aaliyah Edwards, who they obtained at No. 6, to the Connecticut Sun.
The Mystics’ young trio of Citron, Iriafen and Amoore has a ton of future potential as a core, which is good considering they are some of the only players the Mystics will 100% have on their roster in 2026. With about 80% of the league heading to free agency this offseason, plus a looming expansion draft with Toronto and Portland entering the league, few teams have sure things going into the season next.
While we don’t currently know the rules of the expansion draft — including how many players teams will be able to protect — the Mystics trio of Citron, Iriafen and Amoore are likely safe. Last year, teams were able to protect six players from the Valkyries expansion draft. Even if the league reduces that number to three players, the Mystics should still protect those three.
Yet when you think about these returning second-year players and the players the Mystics will end up signing in free agency, then you’re left with a roster problem. Currently, teams are limited to 12 players. If you add Citron, Iriafen, Amoore and even Olsen, who is technically still under contract as a rookie player, plus the three first round picks, that’s already 7 players. Washington also has the 19th, 30th and 34th overall picks in the final rounds of the 2026 draft. Camp already has 10 players, and that’s before free agency.
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The draft also means a bit more this season, as both expansion teams enter the mix. There are more roster spots, and with a deep pool of talent leaving college in the spring for the WNBA, these first-round picks are going to be hot commodities.
The Mystics are in a great position to solidify the No. 9 and No. 11 picks for a player with veteran experience on the trade market. Having an older player to pair with this excellent group of young talent could be very beneficial to the Mystics’ development.
Keeping all six draft picks for 2026 will make training camp more of a competition. Roster spots are limited and most of the players the Mystics end up drafting will ultimately be let go. They can get some value for these picks before they’re even made, from teams that need or want more young players.
However, none of this should happen until two things are behind us. First, the WNBA must agree to a new collective bargaining agreement. We won’t know the new draft rules, expansion drafts, free agency rules, etc., until that happens. After that, all teams should wait until free agency has settled down a bit before jumping into trading draft picks. See what the landscape looks like and who might be available before you start making big deals.
Still, it seems unlikely that the Mystics will enter the 2026 WNBA Draft with their current six picks, so their offseason activity is worth monitoring.
