The WNBA lottery draft night had little surprise for followers, as the teams slotted to win the lottery received their picks accordingly. The Dallas Wings won the 2026 WNBA draft lottery after much speculation. The Lynx won the second overall pick while the Seattle Storm landed the third overall pick.
The Sky secured a higher draft pick via their other trade midway through the 2024 season with the Mystics. This puts them in a commanding position to add some top talent to the roster.
Chicago Sky Earns Fifth Overall Pick In WNBA Lottery Draft
The top draft pick was one of the chances the Sky hoped to land in order to have a strong rebuilding platform and even convince their superstar, Angel Reese, to stay with the franchise following many rumors about her dissatisfaction with the current roster. Assistant Coach Shimmy Grey-Miller even warned the Sky about the risks of losing Angel Reese.
Ironically, the Sky never had the top pick in the WNBA since their inception in 2006. The franchise missed the playoffs 11 times, but has never won the lottery. They had a chance to land the second overall pick in the 2026 draft, but they gave the Lynx the right to swap 2026 first-round picks. And finally, the swap deal in July 2024 handed Sky the fifth overall pick in the 2026 WNBA draft.
NO. 5 PICK IN THE 2026 WNBA DRAFT 🏀
— Chicago Sky (@chicagosky) November 23, 2025
drop your predictions 🪄 pic.twitter.com/P4vNBo6UJl
The franchise had a 5.5% chance to receive the first pick, a 7.6% chance to receive the second pick, and an 86.9% chance to receive the fifth pick.
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While fans will be disheartened to miss out on the top pick, the franchise can still strategically use the pick to strengthen its roster and make an upgrade at the moment needed in the backcourt.
Chicago Sky Can Strengthen Back Court With Fifth Overall Pick
The Chicago Sky’s forward pair, Kamila Cardoso and Angel Reese, had been two shining stars in the 2025 season despite the team’s poor performance. Injury to Courtney Vandersloot impacted their chances of winning games.
Now, with the fifth pick, the team can add a quality guard. The Wings received the top pick, which will mostly eliminate Azzi Fudd from the draft. But they can land the likes of UCLA guard Kiki Rice, TCU guard Olivia Miles, or LSU’s versatile star Flau’jae Johnson.
While Olivia Miles is already in the top five probable, her stats are a bit down at the moment. But Kiki Rice is impacting the season on high, and Flau’jae Johnson also aims to elevate performance in the final LSU season, eyeing a top 2026 WNBA draft spot. It will be interesting to watch the Sky’s plan to improve with assets in hand.