2025 WNBA Draft winners, losers: Wings, Valkyries, Sky, Mystics make list

The 2025 WNBA Draft picks are in.

As expected, the Dallas Wings took Paige Bueckers first overall to add to their new core, while the Washington Mystics hoarded three selections in the top six.

For the first time ever, the Golden State Valkyries made a draft pick as the league's newest expansion team, taking their selection at No. 5 overall.

The Las Vegas Aces, champions in 2022 and 2023, did not have a first-round pick that could cost them down the line, while the Chicago Sky potentially secured the steal of the class.

Let's analyze the WNBA draft further with winners and losers:

WINNER: Franchise cornerstones

Once it was clear Bueckers would put her name on the draft board, the ex-UConn star was the consensus top pick in this class. It comes at a great time for a rebuilding Dallas side that suffered a turbulent 2024 season despite a semifinals appearance the year prior.

Bueckers, a 50-40-90 college shooter this past year, is now the face of a Wings franchise that also has key players in Arike Ogunbowale, Dijonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith, among others. Where the Wings stand in the playoff picture is not clear, but Bueckers will have an important role right off the bat.

LOSER: Did Golden State make the right choice?

Golden State's first ever draft pick was used on Justė Jocytė. The 19-year-old Lithuanian shooting guard is 6-foot-2 and has shown multi-level scoring potential, but there were some criticisms about the pick. Was she the right choice for a new team that needs to market itself as much as possible? How much of an impact will she have as a rookie? Will she ever reach her ceiling to justify the high pick?

Head coach Natalie Nakase's motivation doesn't lie in marketing, but there will be plenty of eyes on how Jocytė performs with Aneesah Morrow, Hailey Van Lith and Georgia Amoore going off the board after.

WINNER: Sky gets a steal

Hailey Van Lith hurt her reputation after joining a stacked LSU team, but she built it back up with TCU this season to be a first-round draft pick. But how high could she have gone? It's a question the Sky won't have to worry about after taking her at No. 11 overall, right after picking Slovenian forward Ajsa Sivka at No. 10.

Van Lith has the potential to be the easy steal of the draft, averaging 17.9 points, 5.4 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.6 blocks on a 45/34/83 shooting split with the Horned Frogs. She will reunite with Angel Reese in the Windy City with Courtney Vandersloot, Ariel Atkins and Kia Nurse among her guard mentors.

LOSER: No trick up the Aces' sleeve

There was a possibility that Van Lith could've ended up in Sin City. However, the Las Vegas Aces had their 2025 first-rounder rescinded by the league in 2023 following an investigation into the team involving Dearica Hamby.

Las Vegas was slated to pick at No. 10, right before Chicago's back-to-back selections. Van Lith could've been alongside A'ja Wilson, Jewell Loyd and more stars that would've also changed the league's landscape.

The Los Angeles Sparks, who picked before Chicago, went for Sarah Ashlee Barker, but the Alabama guard has promising 3-and-D guard potential that should be valuable. The Connecticut Sun opted for guard Saniya Rivers right before that at No. 8.

WINNER: Mystics stack talent

Washington further dove into rebuild mode this offseason, which included sending top scorer Atkins to Chicago. The next top three scorers -- Brittney Sikes, Shakira Austin and Stefanie Dolson -- are on the roster and will have to be vital to the three top-six picks the Mystics made in the first round.

First was Notre Dame two-way guard Sonia Citron, then came USC forward Kiki Iriafen. Amoore from Kentucky came at No. 6, so Washington has a platform to build toward a better future. The team will need patience, though, with 2024 No. 6 overall pick Aaliyah Edwards of UConn also on new head coach Sydney Johnson's squad.