Dallas Wings choose UConn star Paige Bueckers with 1st pick of 2025 WNBA draft

Doug Feinberg · The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 7:54 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Paige Bueckers is headed to Dallas arsenic the archetypal prime Monday nighttime successful the WNBA draft.

The versatile UConn prima is the latest Huskies standout to spell No. 1, joining erstwhile greats Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore and Breanna Stewart.

Bueckers has had a whirlwind week since helping UConn triumph its 12th nationalist title connected April 6. She has divided her clip betwixt New York and Connecticut doing greeting and nighttime speech shows. On Sunday, she took portion successful the Huskies' title parade.

Bueckers is simply a stellar 3-point shooter who made 42.3 percent (236 of 558) of her attempts successful her 4 seasons with the Huskies. She knocked down 70 this season.

The archetypal circular features 12 picks, with 13 successful each of the last 2 rounds. After Dallas' pick, the Seattle Storm clasp the No. 2 selection. The Washington Mystics, with a caller manager and wide manager, power the absorption of the draught with the third, 4th and sixth picks.

Six teams don't person picks successful the opening circular arsenic New York, Indiana, Minnesota, Phoenix and Atlanta traded distant their picks. Las Vegas forfeited its prime pursuing an probe by the league successful 2023 that recovered the franchise violated league rules regarding impermissible subordinate benefits and workplace policies.

Lynx acquire forward Samuelson from Mystics

The Minnesota Lynx acquired guardant Karlie Samuelson successful a commercialized with the Washington Mystics connected Monday for their 2026 first-round draught pick.

The 6-foot Samuelson has vocation averages of 5.6 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists per crippled implicit six WNBA seasons. She scored a career-best 8.4 points per crippled past year, her archetypal with the Mystics, portion shooting 39.8% from 3-point scope to fertile 13th successful the league. Samuelson was primitively signed by the Los Angeles Sparks successful 2018.

The Lynx acquired a antithetic 2026 first-round prime successful a abstracted commercialized with the Chicago Sky connected Sunday successful speech for their first-rounder — 11th wide — this year. The draught was being held Monday.