Mystics in WNBA lottery despite making playoffs in 2022 originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Trading back from the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft is about to reap a huge benefit for the Washington Mystics for the upcoming draft and beyond. The organization is entering the 2023 Draft Lottery with the rights to the pick that has the third-best odds for the No. 1 overall selection. That’s despite the team making the postseason and finishing the year with the fifth-best record.
It’s all because of the haul Washington received for the top selection last year from the Atlanta Dream. The Mystics moved back to No. 3 in the 2022 draft, received a 2022 second-round pick and, importantly, the rights for a pick-swap with Los Angeles’s 2023 first-round pick that was owned by the Dream.
Another disappointing season, which saw a contract divorce with star center Liz Cambage, kept the Sparks out of the playoffs for the second-straight season. Thus it gifted the Mystics another opportunity to draft a second lottery prospect in as many seasons.
Moving back to No. 3 in 2022, Washington got a player, they believe, who was just as capable of being the No. 1 pick in Shakira Austin. The additional pick was just a way to maximize the value of the top selection.
“This was not one of those situations where we traded down and took a lesser player, we add a player that’s capable of being the first pick also,” general manager Mike Thibault said on draft night. “And so I think that’s the starting point for us is that we felt we got a player who was capable of being the first pick and then got an added bonus and got another player.”
Washington’s odds sit at 17.8% of winning the No. 1 overall pick. They are behind the Indiana Fever (44.2%) and the Dream (27.6%); the Minnesota Lynx has the fourth-best odds at 10.4%. The order is set by an aggregate of each team’s record for the previous two seasons. Odds are fixed year over year.
Once again, it’s yet another savvy move that paid off for Thibault. Throughout his tenure with the Mystics, the winningest coach in WNBA history has made the most of their draft assets or developing younger players into tradable pieces. It leads the franchise to be active in trade discussions.
That aggressiveness got them Elena Delle Donne back in 2017. He got Tina Charles in 2020 with multiple first-rounders from “down” draft classes in 2020 and 2021.
No one would say the deal didn’t also pay off for Atlanta also. The Dream took Rhyne Howard first overall. By all accounts, Atlanta got a future superstar with the 2022 Rookie of the Year, beating out Austin in the voting. They also will be the recipient of another lottery selection this year, perhaps another top-tier talent to pair with Howard.
Many are excited for who the 2023 WNBA Draft class will produce. The class is headlined by one of college basketball’s biggest stars, Aliyah Boston (South Carolina). There are also other potential WNBA starters in Diamond Miller (Maryland), Ashley Joens (Iowa State) and Ashley Owusu (Virginia Tech) throughout the list of prospects.
The odds may not be in Washington’s favor to land Boston at No. 1. However, the Mystics entered the last lottery with the third-best odds and vaulted to the top position.
The WNBA Draft Lottery show will be Friday, Nov. 11 at 5:30 on ESPN2. It will be broadcast prior to the blockbuster South Carolina vs. Maryland women’s basketball contest.
