The WNBA will hold its annual draft lottery on Nov. 23, and the Dallas Wings have the best chance to win it for the second consecutive season.
The Wings used the No. 1 pick this past April to draft former University of Connecticut star guard Paige Bueckers, who had just led the Huskies to their record-extending 12th NCAA Division I women’s basketball championship. Dallas has a 42% chance to secure the top pick again.
Bueckers delivered in her first pro season, becoming the fourth straight No. 1 pick to be voted rookie of the year, but Dallas went 10-34 and missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
On Thursday, the Wings introduced their next head coach, Jose Fernandez, who spent the past 25 years leading the University of South Florida women’s basketball program. He follows Chris Koclanes, who lasted just one season as the successor to Latricia Trammell. No coach has lasted as many as three full seasons since the franchise formerly known as the Tulsa Shock moved to Dallas in 2016 and became the Wings.
The WNBA is currently negotiating with the players’ union for a new collective bargaining agreement. The two sides agreed to extend a Oct. 31 deadline to Nov. 30. Assuming a new CBA can get negotiated, the draft is normally held in April.