The 2021 WNBA Draft is going down on Thursday, April 15, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The draft will feature all threes rounds in one night with 36 total picks being made.
WNBA Draft 2021: Results and reactions for each pick
The Dallas Wings have three picks in the top five of the WNBA Draft. We’ll keep you updated on the picks here.
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
The first round of the WNBA Draft order has been rocked by a series of trades. The Dallas Wings own the first two picks in the draft, and also own the No. 5 pick. Dallas was set to pick at No. 7 overall as well, but traded the pick earlier this week to the Los Angeles Sparks for a 2022 first round selection. The Sparks will pick at No. 10 overall, as well.
Dallas also has the first pick in the second round — No. 13 overall — giving them a clear opportunity to reshape the future of the team in this draft.
There isn’t a clear star at the top of the draft. While UConn’s Paige Bueckers, Iowa’s Caitlin Clarke, and Stanford’s Haley Jones and Cameron Brink were among college basketball’s biggest stars this year, none were eligible for the 2021 draft. American college players must be at least 22 years old, finished with their college eligibility, graduated from a four-year college, or be four years removed from high school to enter the draft. That means Bueckers won’t be able to enter until 2023 or 2024.
The top prospects who are eligible for the draft include 6’5 Texas center Charli Collier, 6’5 Finnish big Awak Kuier, Rutgers guard Arella Guirantes, and Arizona guard Aari McDonald.
You can find complete coverage of the 2021 WNBA Draft at Swish Appeal, our community for women’s basketball fans. Read Eric Nemchock’s comprehensive WNBA mock draft at Swish Appeal for a full preview of the draft.
Here’s the draft order for the first two rounds:
1. Dallas Wings (via Liberty) - Charli Collier, C, Texas.
2. Dallas Wings - Awak Kuier, C/F, Finland
3. Atlanta Dream - Aari McDonald, PG, Arizona
4. Indiana Fever - Kysre Gondrezick, F, West Virginia
5. Dallas Wings from Mystics (via Liberty) - Chelsea Dungee, G, Arkansas
6. New York Liberty from Sun (via Mercury) - Michaela Onyenwere, F, UCLA
7. Los Angeles Sparks from Sky (via Wings) - Jasmine Walker, F, Alabama
8. Chicago Sky from Mercury (via Wings) - Shyla Heal, G, Australia
9. Minnesota Lynx - Rennia Davis, F, Tennessee
10. Los Angeles Sparks - Stephanie Watts, G, North Carolina
11. Seattle Storm - Aaliyah Wilson, G, Texas A&M
12. Las Vegas Aces - Iliana Rupert, C, France
Second round:
13. Dallas Wings - Dana Evans, G, Louisville
14. Las Vegas Aces - Destiny Slocum, G, Arkansas
15. Atlanta Dream - Raquel Carrera Quintana, F, Spain
16. Chicago Sky - Natasha Mack, F, Oklahoma State
17. New York Liberty - DiDi Richards, G, Baylor
18. Seattle Storm - Kiana Williams, G, Stanford
19. Indiana Fever - Unique Thompson, F, Auburn
20. Connecticut Sun - DiJonai Carrington, F, Baylor
21. Connecticut Sun - Micaela Kelly, G, Central Michigan
22. Los Angeles Sparks - Arella Guirantes, G, Rutgers
23. Seattle Storm - N’dea Jones, F, Texas A&M
24. Indiana Fever - Trinity Baptiste, F, Arizona
Third round:
25. New York Liberty - Valerie Higgins, G, Pacific
26. Indiana Fever - Chelsey Perry, F, UT Martin
27. Atlanta Dream - Lindsey Pulliam, G, Northwestern
28. Los Angeles Sparks - Ivana Raca, F, Wake Forest
29. New York Liberty - Marine Fauthoux, G, France
30. Connecticut Sun - Aleah Goodman, G, Oregon State
31. Indiana Fever - Florencia Chagas, G, Argentina
32. Phoenix Mercury - Ciera Johnson, C, Texas A&M
33. Indiana Fever - Maya Caldwell, G, Georgia
34. Los Angeles Sparks - Aina Ayuso, G, Spain
35. Seattle Storm - Natalie Kucowski, F, Lafayette
36. Las Vegas Aces - Kionna Jeter, G, Towson
That’s the full draft. Until next year!
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