2026 WNBA Draft Winners and Losers: Wings Land Azzi Fudd, Valkyries Have No Answers

The 2026 WNBA Draft was full of surprises. While the consensus emerged that Azzi Fudd would go No. 1 to the Dallas Wings leading into draft night, there was no shortage of surprises throughout the decisions to follow. The picks moved fast, the crowd at The Shed at Hudson Yards was loud, and at one point during the second round, the entire room erupted in boos over a trade that nobody saw coming.

Here is who walked away as a winner and a loser from how the 2026 WNBA Draft all unfolded.

2026 WNBA Draft WINNERS

Dallas Wings

For the second consecutive draft, the Dallas Wings walked away with the No. 1 overall pick and the most talked-about player in the draft class. After selecting Paige Bueckers out of UConn last spring, the Wings doubled down on the Huskies pipeline, selecting Fudd, adding sharpshooting to a team that struggled to take and make 3-pointers at a competitive rate last season.

Fudd averaged 17.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.5 steals per game in her final season at UConn and is a proven scorer who has consistently complemented high-usage teammates throughout her collegiate career. Her shooting splits are insane. She shot 48.1 percent from the floor, 44.7 percent from 3-point range, and 95.5 percent on free throws. She rejoins Bueckers and will complement Arike Ogunbowale on the perimeter, forming a dangerous offensive trio.

Additionally, under the new CBA, Fudd will earn $500,000 in her rookie season, while every single rookie will earn exponentially more than those who came before them in prior draft years. That’s certainly a win for Fudd and all players.

Seattle Storm

The Storm began the night with the No. 3 pick and left with two of the most intriguing young players in the class. With the third pick, Seattle took Awa Fam, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-4 center from Spain who projects as a high-upside prospect. Then, in a stunning draft-night sequence, the Storm acquired Flau’jae Johnson — the No. 8 pick — from the Golden State Valkyries, giving up only the No. 16 selection and a 2028 second-round pick to make it happen.

Johnson, a two-time All-American at LSU, averaged 14.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. Seattle got a two-way wing who can score, defend, and create — for the equivalent of two second-rounders. Storm general manager Talisa Rhea put it plainly after the deal: “We didn’t think she would be available at that point.”

Seattle lost five double-digit scorers from last season’s roster. Fam, Johnson, Malonga, and Magbegor are the answer — young, hungry, and ready to grow into something.

Welcome to Seattle, @Flaujae pic.twitter.com/2gLYMjSQkZ

— Seattle Storm (@seattlestorm) April 14, 2026

Washington Mystics

Three first-round picks. Three.

Washington entered the night holding the fourth, ninth, and eleventh picks and made the most of it. The Mystics landed UCLA center Lauren Betts at No. 4, then added Angela Dugalić and Cotie McMahon later.

Let’s not forget that Betts is a 6-foot-7 interior force who gives Washington a post scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker. She just earned National Player of the Year honors and helped anchor a championship-winning squad, ending her college career by averaging 21.0 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.8 blocks in 31.8 minutes per game. The Mystics continued to add to a core that already boasts Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen, who were All-Stars as rookies.

Minnesota Lynx

Minnesota is coming off a season with a league-best 34-10 record, and took full advantage of owning the No. 2 pick — acquired from the Chicago Sky as part of the Angel Reese trade a few years ago. The pick was used to land TCU guard Olivia Miles, adding a dynamic, high-IQ playmaker who immediately upgrades their backcourt. Getting a premier point guard prospect while remaining legitimate title contenders is rare draft-night alchemy. With Napheesa Collier still working back from a season-ending injury, Miles gives them a legitimate offensive engine to carry the load while their best player heals.

Photo by Angelina Katsanis/Getty Images

UCLA

Fresh off winning the program’s first-ever national championship on April 5, the Bruins turned around and made WNBA Draft history just eight days later. Six UCLA players were selected in a single draft — the most ever by one school — with five going in the first round to set another record. Betts, Gabriela Jaquez, and Kiki Rice went back-to-back-to-back at Nos. 4, 5, and 6. It was a coronation. The best college basketball program in the country this season became the best pipeline in the draft. Not a bad week for Westwood.

2026 WNBA Draft LOSERS

Golden State Valkyries

No team left Monday night with more explaining to do.

With the eighth pick, the Valkyries selected Flau’jae Johnson to considerable excitement from fans. Then, less than an hour later, general manager Ohemaa Nyanin shipped Johnson to Seattle in exchange for Marta Suárez and a 2028 second-round pick. The reaction in the draft room was immediate confusion, and then boos.

Nyanin was given the platform to explain the move at her post-draft press conference and sidestepped it in a way you don’t hear a general manager typically do. “I’m going to take a beat to be able to eloquently give a response,” she said. “I don’t have a lot of detail to share.”

She later told ESPN the trade framework was agreed upon before draft picks were submitted, adding, “This had nothing to do with Flau’jae or any specific athlete selection” — a clarification that only deepened the mystery.

Whatever the internal rationale, the optics were rough. The eighth overall pick carries real value. A future second-rounder and a prospect drafted No. 16 do not amount to a sufficient return. Golden State may eventually be right about Suárez, but a front office that cannot — or will not — articulate its own decision-making in a basic setting is on the back foot from day one. It’s not difficult to explain a trade agreement that took place before the draft started.

Chicago Sky

The Sky’s draft night problems started long before Commissioner Cathy Engelbert stepped to the podium. Chicago dealt away its 2026 first-round pick to Minnesota over a year ago as part of the original Angel Reese trade, and Monday night, the Lynx converted that pick into Olivia Miles. That one stings in hindsight.

With the fifth selection, the Sky had a chance to make the best of a tough situation. Instead, they passed on Kiki Rice — who has the makings of a long-term offensive engine — and chose UCLA wing Gabriela Jaquez. Jaquez is a high-effort role player, but she projects as a complementary piece at the next level. Courtney Vandersloot turns 38 this season. Skylar Diggins is 35. Jacy Sheldon is already in the fold. The backcourt depth was never the problem.

A team two years removed from a 10-win season has no business drafting for fit over ceiling. The Sky left New York no closer to figuring out what this rebuild actually looks like.

Indiana Fever

By the time the Fever picked tenth, the names that would have moved the needle were already off the board. Many felt Jaquez would be on the board and be an impactful option to get. She was gone. Instead, Indiana went with Raven Johnson, who is a capable guard, but there are genuine concerns about how her game will translate offensively in the WNBA. The lack of a consistent jump shot raises questions about floor spacing that could limit her opportunities to play alongside her best teammates for long stretches.

Flau’jae Johnson’s Draft Night

Johnson posed for photos in a Valkyries jersey, and 45 minutes later, she was a Seattle Storm player. No warning, no heads-up on stage — just a commissioner’s announcement that rewrote her draft night in real time. Seattle is a good landing spot, and the young core around her is exciting. The boos that rained down when Engelbert made the announcement were not for Johnson. They were for a process that treated a player like a line item. She earned better than that.