WNBA Draft night: 3 big winners, 3 potential losers

NEW YORK CITY — The 2025 WNBA Draft is officially complete, and 38 players have been selected. There were some no-brainer selections — Dallas Wings general manager Curt Miller confirmed he never doubted selecting Paige Bueckers — and others that were far more uncertain, with lots of debate over who would round out the first round of the draft.

Some teams were much better positioned to succeed; the Washington Mystics, for example, had the No. 3, No. 4, and No. 6 picks, while some, like the Golden State Valkyries, put it all in one basket.

Here are three winners and three losers from draft night.

There was a lot of celebrating in Dallas on Monday night, and for good reason. They secured the best and most WNBA-ready player in the draft in Paige Bueckers, which was a no-brainer.

And, they also selected NC State standout Aziaha James with the 12th pick, a microwave scorer who averaged 17.9 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.6 assists this past season.

Since they won the Draft Lottery, it was hard for Dallas to mess up draft night. But, their No. 12 pick could end up being a steal alongside the undeniable talent that Bueckers is.

The Valkyries took a risk with the No. 5 pick, selecting Lithuanian star Juste Jocyte. The 19-year-old has played professional basketball in France for five seasons now, and has been compared to Luka Doncic by some.

But, there are a lot of open questions about her ability to defend, offensive efficiency, and availability. Golden State could have secured a more dependable prospect with their first-ever franchise draft pick, but took a swing at a higher-risk, higher-reward talent — Georgia Amoore, Hailey Van Lith, Aneesah Morrow, and Saniyah Rivers were all still available.

The Valkyries might know better than the rest of us, but this was a pretty surprising pick in real-time.

The Mystics were in a good spot entering the draft, owners of the No. 3, No. 4, and No. 6 picks. They walk away with Notre Dame guard Sonia Citron, USC forward Kiki Iriafen, and Kentucky Guard Georgia Amoore — three grades players who have WNBA-ready skills.

It’s hard to go wrong when you have the rights to half of the top-six players, but this was a well-balanced group that will help Washington build around a young core headlined by Aaliyah Edwards. Citron should be an elite defender from the jump, while Amoore could be their point guard of the future.

Shyanne Sellers was a projected first-round pick, but the Maryland standout fell to the No. 17 pick. Sellers has an enormous opportunity ahead of her with the Golden State Valkyries, but she had to sit and wait much longer than most anticipated until her name was finally called.

To make matters worse, earlier in the night, she was incorrectly identified as Aneesah Morrow in an Orange Carpet interview.

A year ago, Hailey Van Lith was fresh off a difficult loss to Iowa and far from a first-round prospect. But after a standout season at TCU, she demonstrated all she needed was a scenery change — and more investment into her mental health. Van Lith arrived at the WNBA Draft with her family, boyfriend NBA player Jalen Suggs, and, her sports psychologist, of course.

She was selected No. 11th by the Chicago Sky, where she’ll reunite with former LSU teammate Angel Reese and be mentored by one of greatest point guards in the history of the game in Courtney Vandersloot.

All 13 WNBA teams decided to pass on Sedona Prince in the draft despite her intriguing skillset; a decision that is likely connected to her lengthy list of domestic violence allegations. Prince was a first-round prospect on many mock drafts just a few weeks back, so for her to fall out of all three rounds is a pretty remarkable drop.