The Indiana Fever officially made Caitlin Clark the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Here’s a look at the top 10 picks after the Iowa star.
Arguably the most anticipated WNBA draft of all time is in the books.
The Indiana Fever finally made it official by selecting Caitlin Clark with the No. 1 overall pick, teaming her with 2023 No. 1 pick Aliyah Boston.
Elsewhere, the Chicago Sky made noise in the top 10 by landing both South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso and LSU's Angel Reese to bolster their frontcourt.
But the Connecticut Sun possibly went the wrong route with their first-round selection.
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So, who were the winners and losers of the 2024 WNBA Draft? Let's dig into five:
WINNER: Indiana Fever's future
Indiana hasn't reached the playoffs since 2016 and has endured multiple lowly seasons, but its fortunes may be changing with yet another elite prospect added. Clark undoubtedly will lift the ceiling of a team that includes Boston and 2022 No. 2 overall pick NaLyssa Smith.
The Fever may not be a lock to reach the playoffs in Clark's debut season due to growing pains, but if they can keep the roster intact for a while, look out.
Indiana also added guards Celeste Taylor (Ohio State) and Leilani Correa (Florida) in the second and third rounds, respectively, with Taylor the one to watch as a potential reserve.
LOSER: Nika Muhl's drop
With multiple quality first-round options, a couple of names were bound to drop. It's why Reese, despite her robust college success, wasn't a lock as a top-five pick.
One such name who fell was Nika Muhl, the 5-foot-11 guard out of UConn who dropped to the Seattle Storm in the second round.
Muhl has late first-round talent, but her ceiling ultimately left doubt. However, she may have landed at the perfect situation given the Storm's need for a specialist. Muhl is an elite 3-and-D guard who is coming off a season converting on 40.8% of her long-range attempts.
Seattle added Nneka Ogwumike, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Jewell Loyd in the offseason, so Muhl should be able to gradually build her way up alongside multiple stars with little pressure.
WINNER: Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks go big
Three teams had two picks in the top 10: the Chicago Sky, Los Angeles Sparks and Dallas Wings. While the Wings grabbed two shooting guards in Jacy Sheldon and Carla Leite, the Sky and Sparks went big.
Chicago, in particular, landed Cardoso at No. 3 overall followed by Reese at No. 7. Cardoso, given her elite athleticism and 6-foot-7 frame, was the main gem, but Reese's selection came as a significant plus.
Reese wasn't a top-five lock due to the quality available among frontcourt prospects, but now the Sky has those two positions locked down for the future.
Los Angeles just edged Chicago by selecting Stanford's Cameron Brink at No. 2 overall and Tennessee's Rickea Jackson at No. 4. With Ogwumike leaving for Seattle, now was the time for Los Angeles to find a young spark at forward. It found two.
LOSER: Connecticut Sun's first rounder
Again, it's harsh to label any team or prospect as a loser this early, but it might be fair to question the Sun's first-round pick. Connecticut went with 5-foot-11 French point guard Leila Lacan at No. 10 overall, a speedy ball handler who can arrive at the rim but doesn't have a good shooting background.
Connecticut has plenty of guard options so Lacan has time to develop, but that makes you wonder if it could've swung for someone like Muhl instead.
The Sun then selected center Taiyanna Jackson (Kansas) and point guard Helena Pueyo (Arizona) in the second round before adding shooting guard Abbey Hsu (Colombia) in the third. Jackson, at 6-foot-6, is an elite shot blocker who could develop into an important piece.
WINNER: Kate Martin's unexpected selection
Iowa guard Kate Martin primarily attended the draft just to see her teammate Clark get selected. Then the reigning two-time WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces called her name in the second round, surprising many, including likely Martin herself.
ESPN had the 6-foot guard as the No. 101-ranked prospect in the draft, so with only 36 total selection across three rounds, it seemed Martin would go undrafted.
Instead, Las Vegas had an ace up its sleeve and now could transform Martin into a high-level role player who can shoot from all three levels and defend multiple positions thanks to her frame. Only time will tell if this wholesome moment becomes something significantly bigger.
