With no clear No. 1 pick on the board, Fudd’s selection was just the beginning of a fascinating first round that included twists and turns, a puzzle or two, and even a trade: The Golden State Valkyries traded No. 8 overall pick Flau’jae Johnson to Seattle for Marta Suarez and a future second-round pick.
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Let’s take a look at how each team fared in the first-round pick-by-pick ratings.
1. Dallas Wings: Azzi Fudd, guard, UConn
Grade: B
Fudd is the seventh UConn player to reach the No. 1 ranking, and becomes just the third mother-daughter duo to have a connection to the WNBA. Fudd’s mother, Katie Fudd (then Katie Smrcka Duffy) was the 62nd pick in 2001. She never suited up, but it’s still amazing to have that kind of intra-family connection for WNBA players. -Chantel Jennings
2. Minnesota Lynx: Olivia Miles, guard, TCU
Grade: A-
Miles has the potential to be a generational passer in the WNBA and joins a roster that already features a generational player in Napheesa Collier. The last time the Lynx were built around a true PG (in Lindsay Whalen), the franchise won four WNBA titles in seven seasons. Does Miles have that potential? Frankly, it’s hard to know how many teams (outside of Las Vegas, currently) have the potential to do that in this era of the game, but she can team up with Whalen, who is now a Lynx assistant. —Jennings
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3. Seattle Storm: Awa Fam Thiam, center, Valencia Basket, Spain
Grade: A
Fam Thiam could be the best player in this class five years from now, and the Storm have time to wait. Even if Dallas may have overlooked Fam Thiam due to a positional logjam, Seattle showed no such concerns. He’ll join Dominique Malonga and Ezi Magbegor in the Storm’s frontcourt, and the collection of length and athleticism could be terrifying. It will be interesting to see how Seattle puts the pieces together. — Trader Sabreena
4. Washington Mystics: Lauren Betts, center, UCLA
Grade: B+
The Mystics continue to build young players and Betts is an excellent player to add to a roster that will likely be one of the youngest in the WNBA. Getting heavy minutes early will allow him to continue building on the last few months, where his game really went to another level. She will be reunited with her former Stanford teammate Kiki Iriafen and (I’m not sure how many times this has happened in the past) but also her college assistant coach Michaela Onyenwere, who signed with the Mystics this weekend. —Jennings
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5. Chicago Sky: Gabriela Jáquez, guard, UCLA
Grade: B
Jaquez was barely on draft boards heading into her senior season and is now a WNBA lottery pick. He has bragging rights over his brother Jaime for winning a national title, and also over several of his UCLA teammates for being drafted ahead of them. Chicago needed some help on the wing, and Jaquez fills a positional need even if he doesn’t have the biggest upside of any of the players on the board. No one is better than Jáquez as a creator of culture thanks to her drive and positive attitude. If his shooting returns to early-season levels, this will be a bargain for the Sky. Even if not, Jaquez is doing well enough to make this a solid pick. – Businessman
6. Toronto Tempo: Kiki Rice, guard, UCLA
Grade: B+
Toronto had a point guard need and is filling it with UCLA’s Kiki Rice. The 5-foot-11 national champion is a solid point guard who does everything very well and comes into the league after having a career season as a senior at UCLA. Teaming up with veteran WNBA coach Sandy Brondello is great news for Rice as she transitions to the professional game, because there is nothing Brondello hasn’t seen and she will be an excellent developer and sounding board for the rookie. —Jennings
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7. Portland Fire: Iyana MartÃn Carrión, point guard, Club Baloncesto Avenida, Spain
Grade: B+
The Fire have an international general manager and head coach, went international in the expansion draft with Bridget Carleton and now go international with their first pick in the WNBA Draft. MartÃn Carrión has been incredible in FIBA ​​youth events, including an MVP performance at the 2023 U-19 World Cup. Portland’s roster is not prepared to win this season, so this is a good development opportunity for MartÃn and a big positive move for the Fire. – Businessman
8. Golden State Valkyries: Flau’jae Johnson, guard, LSU
Commercial alert: The pick itself earned Golden State an A grade, but that grade became moot when the Valkyries then traded Johnson to Seattle for TCU forward Marta Suarez and a 2028 second-round pick. Here’s what The Athletic wrote of the deal: “I love this for Seattle, getting a lot more upside with Johnson without having to give up a first. Golden State has been an international powerhouse in its short WNBA tenure, which puts the Suarez acquisition in line with the front office’s pattern. I’m not sure the asset play is worth it for the Valkyries, but the fit is important!” —Jennings
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9. Washington Mystics: Angela Dugalić, forward, UCLA
Grade: B-
Dugalić fit right in next to Betts, her teammate again in Washington, but there were plenty of excellent (and younger) players left on the board, including the South Carolina duo of Raven Johnson and Ta’Niya Latson. The Mystics clearly have no problem with older rookies after drafting Georgia Amoore in the first round last season. Dugalić adds size and defense to the roster, but maybe not as much as any other player. – Businessman
10. Indiana Fever: Raven Johnson, guard, South Carolina
Grade: A-
Indiana doesn’t have any big holes on its roster, so at this point in the draft, the Fever were going to pick the best available. The fact that the best player they saw who was still available is also a talented and defensive point guard? Perfect. She gives Indiana another ball-handler who can take pressure, and is coming off a season with career-best shooting from the floor and beyond the 3-point line. —Jennings
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11. Washington Mystics: Cotie McMahon, forward, Ole Miss
Grade: B-
Ta’Niya Latson seemed like the right choice here. The comparisons to Alyssa Thomas are simultaneously optimistic and also indicate how challenging it could be to build a team around McMahon, given her specific skills as a ball-handling forward. The Mystics don’t really have to worry about the fit right now at this stage of their rebuild, so they have a clue to figure out how this all works. – Businessman
12. Connecticut Sun: Nell Angloma, forward, Association Basket Lattes Montpellier, France
Grade: B
Angloma is a big, strong wing who seems to fit the mold of what Connecticut coach Rachid Meziane wanted to build this team. The 19-year-old learns from veterans like Brittney Griner, as well as young talents like Aaliyah Edwards and Aneesah Morrow. —Jennings
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13. Atlanta Dream: Madina Okot, center, South Carolina
Grade: B
The Dream loves their South Carolina players, as Okot joins Allisha Gray and Te-Hina Paopao (all three Gamecocks transfers) in Atlanta. Okot may have been a little too quick to settle for jumpers at South Carolina, but she’ll need to get more comfortable with them to play for Karl Smesko. Okot was hoping to stay in college for one more season, so he will need some time to develop. The Dream has a deep enough roster to allow for that. – Businessman
14. Seattle Storm: Taina Mair, guard, Duke
Grade: D
I don’t really understand why Seattle felt the need to use their No. 14 pick on Mair, since she would have been available later, almost certainly when the Storm had their next pick… at No. 16. Given the exodus in Seattle, adding a player like Gianna Kneepkens would have made a lot of sense as a floor spreader, or even going with a higher-scoring point guard like Ta’Niya Latson. This is the first scratch of the night. —Jennings
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15. Connecticut Sun: Gianna Kneepkens, guard, UCLA
Grade: A
UCLA gets its fifth first-round pick, matching the most players selected from one school in WNBA Draft history. After building an athletic roster that has spacing issues, the Sun finally have a shooter, and one of the best in college basketball in the last five years. Kneepkens will be ready to shoot playing alongside several willing Connecticut passers, including Saniya Rivers and Leïla Lacan. – Businessman
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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