2021 WNBA Draft Tracker: Complete results, grades as Charli Collier taken with No. 1 pick by Dallas Wings
As expected, the Dallas Wings took Collier with the first pick Apr 15, 2021 at 10:19 pm ET6 min read
The 2021 WNBA Draft is in the books, and as expected the Dallas Wings started the night by selecting Texas center Charli Collier and Finnish center Awak Kuier. They needed depth in the frontcourt, so that was no surprise. Collier is WNBA ready and Kuier has perhaps the most potential of any player in this class.
Aari McDonald, Arizona s NCAA Women s Tournament star went No. 3 to the Atlanta Dream, and after that things got a little wild. The Indiana Fever rounded out the lottery by selecting West Virginia guard Kysre Gondrezick, who most expected to go in the second or third round.
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After four-straight seasons out of the playoffs, the Indiana Fever certainly would like to return to the postseason in 2021. To help them achieve this goal, the Fever will welcome the No. 4 pick in the WNBA Draft to Indianapolis. They’ll also try to find additional contributors with two second-round (No. 19 and No. 24) and two third-round (No. 26 and No. 31) picks. Related
During free agency, the Fever did not make a big splash. They let veterans Candice Dupree, Natalie Achonwa and Erica Wheeler go to new destinations, suggesting they were ready to turn the team over to their young, high-pedigree core of Kelsey Mitchell, Victoria Vivians, Teaira McCowan and Lauren Cox. However, the Fever did retain Jantel Lavender and sign Danielle Robinson, inking both vets to above-market, multi-year protected contracts.
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After an underwhelming 2019 season and absence-, illness- and injury-plagued 2020 season, the Atlanta Dream secured the third pick in the 2021 WNBA Draft.
As Atlanta is in win-now mode not only adding Cheyenne Parker, Tianna Hawkins and Odyssey Sims in free agency but also welcoming back Tiffany Hayes this should be their last lottery pick for a while. With this in mind, the Dream brass of president and general manager Chris Sienko, director of basketball operations Brooklyn Cartwright and head coach Nicki Collen should prioritize adding a player who can emerge as a longterm co-star alongside Chennedy Carter, the No. 3 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft.
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The 2021 WNBA Draft is near! Just as it was last year, the 2021 Draft will be held virtually, with expanded coverage on ESPN and the league’s official app adding a greater social dimension to the event.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NCAA granted college basketball players an extra year of eligibility, and many of them took advantage. Unlike in previous drafts, every player not just draft-eligible juniors had to opt-in by contacting the WNBA, and the result was only 52 NCAA players announcing their intent to play professionally. That total increased to 57 on Wednesday.
It’s hard to fault those who decided to stay in school. As usual, only a handful of draftees will end up making a WNBA roster, with the league’s new collective bargaining agreement earning many of its veterans more money and thus further tightening team salary caps. It also gives seniors looking to further polish their games or get one more chance at collegiate team suc