WNBA Draft Lottery Date Set but Connecticut Sun Left Out of Festivities

The WNBA Draft Lottery date is set ahead of the 2026 season, and with that, the Connecticut Sun will just hope their traded pick doesn't get more valuable.

Apr 14, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Aneesah Morrow poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected with the number seven overall pick to the Connecticut Sun in the 2025 WNBA Draft at The Shed at Hudson Yards. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Connecticut Sun are coming off a pretty brutal 2025 campaign in which they went 11-33 and nearly ended up with the worst record in the WNBA if not for a late resurgence.

On the positive side of this, they have been able to put together a promising young core with picks from the last two drafts and have two more first-rounders in 2026. However, their own highly valuable pick will not be in their possession, as it was previously traded to the Chicago Sky in the Marina Mabrey trade.

That deal will likely still end up being worth it for the time being, as Mabrey had an outstanding 2025 campaign and helped with building momentum late in the season. Having her as a core piece of the team moving forward would be huge for the development of key rookies and previous draft selections — if the Sun can re-sign her this offseason.

WNBA Draft Lottery 2026 To Take Place Sunday, Nov. 23 On ESPN pic.twitter.com/3zww7kXMlH

— WNBA Communications (@WNBAComms) November 7, 2025

With that said, the WNBA Draft grows closer, and the lottery to narrow down the order of the first five picks has a date. According to the WNBA Communications department, the lottery will take place on Nov. 23 at 6:30 P.M. on ESPN.

Where Are Picks Involving Sun Currently Sitting Ahead of Lottery?

David Butler II-Imagn Images

Currently, there are three notable picks tied back to Connecticut and its roster. The first two being the obvious, their own, as they will hold picks No. 12 from the Phoenix Mercury and No. 15 from the Minnesota Lynx. Both of these picks will be outside the top five and therefore not subject to the lottery system. Those will also be behind picks No. 6 and No. 7, which were added for the two new franchises entering the league next season.

The more interesting development will be what happens with the Sun's own first-round pick, which was previously traded to the Sky, and is part of the lottery process, sitting at No. 5 in terms of record. On a positive note, the odds that it turns into the No. 1 overall pick are 55 in 1,000 tries. Despite that, trading the pick via a pick swap for the Mercury one is tough in a vacuum, especially if Mabrey gets away this offseason.

Now, the Connecticut Sun have to wait and see how this all pans out in a few weeks. There isn't much they can do about it now, but knowing they have two first-round picks it will be intriguing to see if they choose to move up into the higher portion of the order using both if they find someone they want from this class.

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