WNBA Draft 2025 Start Time, Schedule, Round 1 Order and Mock Predictions

Basketball fans have eagerly awaited the moment when UConn star Paige Bueckers would be drafted into the WNBA. Now, that is a little more than 24 hours from becoming a reality.

Bueckers going first overall Monday night has been a fait accompli ever since she announced her intentions to spend the 2024-25 season in Storrs. But there has been plenty of drama surrounding the 2025 WNBA draft, including whether the consensus best player might execute a power play to land in a preferred destination.

Olivia Miles' decision to forgo the 2025 draft and return to Notre Dame might've thrown a wrench into the Seattle Storm's plans with the No. 2 pick as well.

Here's a quick predraft primer.

Date: Monday, April 14

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV Info: ESPN

Live Stream: ESPN app

1. Dallas Wings: Paige Bueckers, G, UConn

2. Seattle Storm: Dominique Malonga, F, France

3. Washington Mystics: Sonia Citron, G, Notre Dame

4. Washington Mystics: Kiki Iriafen, F, USC

5. Golden State Valkyries: Aneesah Morrow, F, LSU

6. Washington Mystics: Shyanne Sellers, G, Maryland

7. Connecticut Sun: Georgia Amoore, PG, Kentucky

8. Connecticut Sun: Justė Jocytė, PG, Lithuania

9. Los Angeles Sparks: Saniya Rivers, G, NC State

10. Chicago Sky, Hailey Van Lith, G, TCU

11. Minnesota Lynx: Sarah Ashlee Barker, G, Alabama

12. Dallas Wings: Serena Sundell, G, Kansas State

Mock draft via Rachel Galligan for Bleacher Report

No rookie is the finished article, and the transition can be especially difficult in the WNBA, where the limited roster pool creates a far higher threshold for talent.

In Miles, the Seattle Storm had a reasonably sure thing, though. The Fighting Irish star has averaged 14.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists over her last three seasons. Her shooting also took a huge step forward in 2024-25. She knocked down 40.6 percent of her threes, having never before reached 30 percent.

Selecting a player who could plausibly contribute right away is a further benefit to Seattle when it figures to remain in the WNBA playoff race. The Storm traded away Jewell Loyd but maintain a veteran core of Skylar Diggins-Smith, Nneka Ogwumike, Ezi Magbegor and Gabby Williams.

With Miles off the board, though, general manager Talisa Rhea may veer in the opposite direction.

Bueckers aside, French center Dominique Malonga has one of the highest upsides of anybody in the 2025 draft class.

The 19-year-old averaged 15.4 points and 10.3 rebounds in 22 French league appearance on top of 18.5 points and 11.0 boards in the EuroCup. She also represented France in the 2024 Summer Olympics, so she has matched up against the best the world has to offer.

The Storm struck gold with Magbegor, taking her 12th overall in the 2019 draft and letting her stay abroad that year before she made the jump to the W in 2020. Maybe they can repeat that success with Malonga.

Hailey Van Lith exemplified both the risk and rewards of the college transfer portal.

Expectations were through the roof when the dynamic guard joined reigning champion LSU. She was one of two marquee transfers along with forward Aneesah Morrow.

Van Lith never looked like a good fit in Kim Mulkey's offense, though, and her performance suffered. The lasting memory fans probably have of her in a Tigers uniform was her seemingly befuddled reaction to guarding Caitlin Clark.

Much less fanfare surrounded Van Lith's move to TCU and that may have been to her benefit. The experienced senior had a career year as the Horned Frogs reached the Elite Eight for the first time in program history.

Van Lith led the team in points (17.9), assists (5.4) and steals (1.2), and she set a personal best in field-goal percentage (45.2).

General managers in the WNBA are undoubtedly looking more positively at the 23-year-old than they were last spring, and removing one of the best guards (Miles) from the equation will give her a boost.

Still, GMs have shown they aren't all that swayed by raw production or strong NCAA tournament runs.

Last year, Angel Reese fell to the No. 7 pick despite her incredible run at LSU. Brea Beal and Ashley Joens were considered potential first-rounders in the 2023 draft and slipped to the second. The same was true for Elissa Cunane in 2022.

Rather than her bounce-back campaign with TCU, talent evaluators could put more weight behind Van Lith's Tigers tenure since her usage in Baton Rouge is a closer approximation of the role she'll have on a WNBA team.

Quite simply, stockpiling draft picks doesn't have the same effect in the WNBA as it does with other leagues.

The talent level can drop off quickly in the first round, so having picks in the mid-to-late stages aren't that valuable. Finding the requisite roster space, let alone enough playing time to allow for a young player to develop, can be tricky as well. The WNBA doesn't have a developmental league where draft picks can hone their craft away of the spotlight.

That's why the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun aren't necessarily working from a position of strength despite combining to have five of the first eight picks.

Either team could plausibly combine their selections to move up a spot or two, or they could use their draft capital to get more veteran talent with free agency over for the most part. Connecticut already has 16 players on its roster, so ensuring each of their first-rounders makes the final cut could be a challenge.

Granted, this is the offseason to get as many rookie contracts as you can.

WNBA players are opting out of their collective bargaining agreement, setting the stage for a new CBA in 2026. A new deal will have higher salaries that reflect the significant increase in media rights for the league.

The current CBA calls for 2026 rookies to make $81,196 at the high end and $68,061 for anybody picked in the third round or undrafted. It's safe to assume first-year players will start hitting six figures in a salary cap climate that reflects a stronger revenue stream.

Rookie-scale deals signed under this CBA will be worth their weight in gold. The surplus value for Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark will be off the charts when she's still making just $97,582 in 2027.

The Mystics and Sun are both in major rebuilds, the latter resulting from a talent and coaching exodus. Since that's the case, it might be better to keep and then sign all of your draft picks this offseason, even if it comes at the expense of a veteran who's a better player right now.