The first domino of the WNBA offseason fell on Sunday with the WNBA’s draft lottery. While this draft is expected to be strong, especially in the lottery, there is not a consensus top pick. That could change as prospects still have a lot of games in college and overseas between now and the draft. Between the strength of the draft at the top and the fact that two playoff teams have lottery picks, this could be the most interesting draft in recent memory. While it is too early to speculate on which players will be chosen with these lottery picks, this is the perfect time to explore the options each team has with its picks.

No. 1 Dallas Wings

Pairing a second number one overall pick with Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers is the ideal scenario for the Dallas Wings. Bueckers was as good as advertised as a rookie, which made the team’s 10-34 record even more disappointing. Dallas clearly thought it would show signs of improvement by surrounding Bueckers with proven WNBA starters in DiJonai Carrington, Arike Ogunbowale, Myisha Hines-Allen and NaLyssa Smith. Instead, Ogunbowale had the worst season of her career and Smith and Carrington were traded by the deadline. All of that resulted in the firing of first-year head coach Chris Koclanes.

It seems clear that Dallas wants to show improvement in Bueckers’ second year, and at the very least they should contend for a playoff spot. Dallas has a lot of young players under contract, and even after they lose a couple in the expansion draft (barring a trade), they should have a ton of cap space to pursue free agents. My best guess is that Dallas will be aggressive in free agency and perhaps the trade market to surround Bueckers and their 2026 first-round pick with a playoff-caliber roster. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only option.

I wonder if Dallas would be open to trading down. Seattle has two first-round picks and Washington has three. I feel like the Wings would have to at least think about a trade that keeps them in the top five and adds an extra pick or two, either in this draft or in the future.

I can’t really see Dallas trading this pick outright, but stranger things have happened. If General Manager Curt Miller feels pressure to make the playoffs or even win a round next season, he might consider trading for a more proven commodity. That gets tricky, considering how few players are under contract right now, but if the Sky offers Angel Reese and a future draft pick, they’d have to at least consider it.

No.2 Minnesota Lynx

Like most of these teams, what Minnesota does with this pick depends at least in part on free agency. If Napheesa Collier leaves, they will most likely make this pick and try to stay competitive while their rookie develops, much like they did after they drafted Collier. That’s probably what will happen if Collier stays, but a trade would make some sense as well. The Lynx never got a whole lot out of 2023 second overall pick Diamond Miller, and while injuries had a ton to do with that, I think part of the issue was that the Lynx were too competitive to give Miller the playing time she needed to develop. Collier turns 30 next season, and it would be ideal to pair her with a young star who could take on a greater offensive role as the years go by, but the Lynx might not have the luxury of waiting for that player to develop. This could be a landing spot for Reese, considering head coach Cheryl Reeve’s emphasis on rebounding, but I’m not expecting that.

No. 3 Seattle Storm

The Storm had three All-Stars last season and traded for a fourth at the deadline and still were the last team to clinch a playoff spot. The entire roster is up in the air outside of All-Rookie selection Dominique Malonga. Seattle has a new head coach, and I could certainly see them getting the band back together, adding two first-round picks in this draft, and seeing if they can’t compete for a top-four seed.

They could also take Malonga and their two draft picks and pursue a full rebuild. I wouldn’t necessarily expect that to be Plan A, but if they strike out on free agency, it would not be the worst contingency plan in the world. More likely, Seattle will make both picks and try to supplement them with young players who fit better than Ezi Magbegor, Gabby Williams and Skylar Diggins did. Seattle shot the fewest threes per game of any of the playoff teams, and I suspect they will look to improve upon that while also having big roles for their young players.

No. 4 Washington Mystics

The Mystics proved they were fully committed to their rebuild by trading Brittney Sykes even though she had them firmly in the playoff race. Washington almost certainly isn’t going to spend draft capital on a win-now trade, but could they make a consolidation trade? They already had two rookie All-Stars last season in Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen and they have the sixth overall pick, Georgia Amoore, returning from an ACL injury. Do they really need six rotation players with a year or less of WNBA experience? If there is someone they love at the top, or if they are worried about fit with their young players, a trade up could make sense. Washington could also trade one of their later picks for a future first-round pick. The Sky are always dying to trade future assets to get back into the first round. Failing a trade, Washington might consider using one of their three picks on a foreign player who wouldn’t join the team next season. If someone like Iyana Martin or Nell Angloma indicated they didn’t want to join the Mystics until 2027, that might be an ideal situation.

No. 5 Chicago Sky

The Sky have made two first-round picks in each of the last two seasons and have two proven players to show for it, one of whom may or may not force her way to another team this offseason. I hope they have learned their lesson about trading into the back end of the first round, but that may be wishful thinking. There is also a decent chance that if Angel Reese is traded, it involves adding picks or perhaps even moving up in the lottery. Chicago probably doesn’t need to do anything, since this is widely considered a five-player draft. Then again, they really, really don’t need a forward, especially if Reese returns, so they might trade up if they think Lauruen Betts or Awa Fam will fall to them. Fam, especially, is considered a developmental prospect, and the Sky might not be patient enough to wait for her to become a winning player.