The Mystics are back in the WNBA Draft Lottery because they swapped picks with the Los Angeles Sparks.
The 2023 WNBA Draft Lottery will be held on Friday, Nov. 11, 2022 and televised on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. ET. It will be part of a special before the Maryland Terrapins women’s basketball team plays the South Carolina Gamecocks at 6 p.m. ET.
The Washington Mystics made the playoffs last year but are back in the lottery after swapping first round picks with the Los Angeles Sparks. This possibility came from an earlier draft pick swap with the Atlanta Dream when the Washington traded their No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft away for the No. 3 pick where they picked Shakira Austin. Washington will be in the draft lottery with the Indiana Fever, Atlanta Dream and Minnesota Lynx for the right to draft first next year.
Based on the Sparks’ 2021 and 2022 season record, they had the third-best odds of getting the No. 1 pick. Because of the trade, Washington has the third-best odds of getting the No. 1 pick.
The 2023 WNBA Draft will be held next spring.