The best landing spots in the 2026 WNBA Draft for Lauren Betts, Azzi Fudd, Olivia Miles
Which WNBA teams would be the perfect fits for college stars like Lauren Betts and Flau’Jae Johnson?
The 2026 WNBA Draft is shaping up to include an incredibly deep and talented class of prospects. It will be headlined by a potential unicorn and a player that could be a franchise cornerstone in the 6-foot-7 Lauren Betts, an elite playmaker and creative passer in Olivia Miles, and a sharpshooter in Azzi Fudd — whose shooting form has garnered compliments from the likes of Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.
And that’s just at the very top of the draft board.
The 2026 class will also feature an electric play-making big guard in Flau’Jae Johnson, a dynamic scorer in Ta’Niya Latson, a surgical shooter in Gianna Kneepkens, a raw but talented center in the 6-foot-6 Madina Okot, the uber athletic Janiah Barker, and a trio of seasoned South Carolina veterans in Raven Johnson, Chloe Kitts and Ashlyn Watkins. And let’s not forget about Charlisse Leger-Walker, Raegan Beers or Rori Harmon.
Based on how the current WNBA season is going and what we’ve seen so far in the first half of the season, what follows here is not exactly a mock draft, but what might be the ideal fit for some of these top prospects and which teams could use them the most.
Lauren Betts, UCLA: Seattle Storm
Ezi Magbegor is a fine player, but the Storm need help inside. Seattle ranks in the bottom three in the league in 10 different rebounding statistics, and they’re also dead last in points from inside the arc. The towering Betts would immediately make the Storm better in both areas. The reigning national Defensive Player of the Year was 20th in the country in offensive rebounds per game and fifth in blocks last season. She was also fourth in field goals made per game and ninth in shooting percentage.
Despite being a likely playoff team — the Storm are currently fifth in the WNBA standings —- Seattle could be in a position to draft Betts because they own the Sparks’ first round pick, thanks to the Jewell Loyd trade. Should Betts land in Seattle, she’d have a great frontcourt mentor in Nneka Ogwumike too.
Olivia Miles, TCU: Chicago Sky
Courtney Vandersloot is hurt and likely nearing the end of her career, and — so far — it’s unclear if Hailey Van Lith is capable of being a starting-caliber player in the WNBA. Simply put, the Chicago Sky need a dynamic point guard who has the ability to deliver the ball at the right place and at the right time to the likes of Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. They could also use a player capable of creating her own shot and can be a scoring threat of her own.
Miles is all of that and more. She just led Team USA in assists at the AmeriCup and last season at Notre Dame dramatically improved as a 3-point shooter, raising her percentage from deep by 18 points. Miles is expected to get even better as a guard by spending a season under Mark Campbell at TCU. The Sky currently rank last in the WNBA in turnovers per game, second-worst in points per play, fourth worst in 3-point rate, and second-worst in scoring. Miles has the potential to solve a lot of those problems.
Azzi Fudd, UConn: Washington Mystics
The Mystics are a team that seem to be fully-in on its youth movement, as rookies Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have received big minutes and made the most of them, earning spots on the All-Star team. However, the Mystics could really use another threat from 3-point land. They rank last in 3-pointers made per game, 3-point rate and points from beyond the arc, in addition to being in the middle of the pack — eighth — in 3-point shooting percentage.
Enter Fudd, who last season shot 47 percent from the floor, 43 percent from deep and 91 percent from the free throw line as she helped UConn win a national championship. Voted the Most Outstanding Player at the Final Four, Fudd shot 44 percent from deep throughout the NCAA Tournament. A native of Arlington, Virginia, who starred at St. John’s College High School, the DMV fans would welcome her home with open arms.
Flau’Jae Johnson, LSU: Toronto Tempo / Portland
In Johnson, the Tempo or the Portland expansion team could land a talented do-it-all guard with a superstar-like fan following who would immediately become the face of the franchise, depending on what those squads do in the expansion draft and free agency. Improving as a scorer every season she’s spent in Baton Rouge, Johnson averaged a career-best 18.6 points per game last season while also tallying 5.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.7 steals. She also shot a career best 38.3 percent from 3-point land while rapping her way through Powerade commercials.
Madina Okot, South Carolina: Dallas Wings
The Wings desperately need a center too, which is going to make the race to the bottom — and the lottery — all that more interesting as teams jockey for position to draft Lauren Betts. If the Wings can’t get Betts, Okot might be the next best option. The 6-foot-6 center was already playing for the Kenyan national team before she stepped foot in the SEC last season, where she nearly averaged a double-double for Mississippi State. She also shot 64.9 percent from the floor, which led the SEC and was fourth nationally. Okot is now about to spend a year under Dawn Staley at South Carolina, a program that has a knack for developing pro-ready post players.