Washington Mystics begin uncertain offseason by getting No. 4 pick in WNBA draft lottery

The Mystics also have the No. 6 overall pick, just after the lottery and the expansion team Golden State Valkyries, who will pick fifth. Washington will be the only team to select twice in the top six.

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The Mystics entered the lottery with a 75.1% chance to get the No. 4 pick, a 14.5% chance at the No. 2 pick and a 10.4% chance at the No. 1 pick. It was the 10th time in franchise history that they’d had a lottery pick. They’d gotten a worse pick than the odds suggested four times, beaten the odds twice and held steady three times.

Forward Aaliyah Edwards, the No. 6 pick for Washington in 2024, represented the Mystics at Sunday’s draft lottery. For good luck, she wore a black-and-white plaid cropped blazer and matching skirt. She called it her “panda print” in a nod to Pax, the Mystics’ mascot.

“I’m just bringing the good vibes here,” she said in a video posted on social media before the lottery.

During the lottery, Edwards and players from the three other lottery teams stood at individual podiums awaiting the results. When the Mystics were announced first as the recipients of the No. 4 pick, Edwards ducked her head slightly, then smiled and clapped her hands above her podium several times.

The Mystics have picked fourth in three other drafts, most recently in 2023. That year, they selected forward/center Stephanie Soares and immediately traded her to the Dallas Wings for future assets, including what became the No. 6 pick in the 2025 draft.

Emily Adler, Hunter Cruse and Lincoln Shafer, who compiled The Next’s prospect rankings, wrote that the 2025 draft could be one of the best in WNBA history, with the lottery potentially including “multiple future Hall of Famers.” Among the players who could be available with the fourth and sixth picks are Notre Dame guard Olivia Miles, South Carolina guards Te-Hina Paopao and Raven Johnson, NC State wing Saniya Rivers, and Notre Dame wing Sonia Citron.

In mock drafts before and after the lottery was conducted, ESPN also listed TCU center Sedona Prince and French center Dominique Malonga as potential picks for Washington at No. 6.

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However, it’s not clear what the Mystics will prioritize with their first-round picks because there is no general manager or head coach in place. Michael Winger, the president of Monumental Basketball, which operates the Mystics, wants to be more hands-on in shaping the franchise, but he has not gone into specifics about his priorities or vision for the Mystics. (The Mystics did not respond to a request to make Winger available after the lottery.)

Washington’s approach in the college draft will also be shaped by the results of the expansion draft in December and free agency in early 2025. It’ll be a busy offseason for the Mystics, and Sunday’s results were only the beginning of the process.