WNBA Draft Lottery set for Dec. 10 with Indiana Fever holding best odds at No. 1 pick

The WNBA Draft Lottery, where teams vie for the top pick, is set for Dec. 10. The announcement was made by the league on Tuesday in conjunction with the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase tripleheader.

The Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Phoenix Mercury, and Seattle Storm are the four teams in contention for the top picks after missing the playoffs last season. The Fever lead the odds with approximately 44% chance for the No. 1 pick and guaranteed at least the No. 3 overall pick, based on their 18-58 record over the past two seasons.

Following closely behind, the Mercury have about a 28% chance at the No. 1 pick with a 24-52 record, while the Sparks and Storm have about an 18% and 10% chance, respectively.

The rest of the draft order is based on the teams’ regular-season records from last season. The rest of the first round will go as follows:

5. Dallas Wings
6. Washington Mystics
7. Minnesota Lynx
8. Atlanta Dream
9. Dallas Wings
10. Connecticut Sun
11. New York Liberty
12. Los Angeles Sparks

It is worth noting that the Wings and Sparks acquired their picks through previous trades.

As for the top draft prospects, Iowa guard Caitlin Clark is projected as the top pick, followed by UConn star Paige Bueckers, Stanford forward Cameron Brink, UConn forward Aaliyah Edwards, and LSU guard Hailey Van Lith. The actual draft is set for April 15.

The lottery, which will determine the top picks, will take place at 4:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 10. This will happen after the Utah vs. South Carolina game and before the North Carolina vs. UConn game, all of which are part of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase event.