UConn guard Azzi Fudd (35) drives against South Carolina forward Maryam Dauda (30) during the first half of a woman’s NCAA college basketball tournament semifinal game at the Final Four, Friday, April 3, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo\/Rick Scuteri)<\/small><\/p>\n
2026-04-13T15:01:05Z<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 A $500,000 payday awaits the No. 1 WNBA pick<\/a><\/span> as the Dallas Wings go on the clock again.<\/p>\n Whoever Dallas chooses at No. 1 will see a huge salary bump her first year thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement<\/a><\/span> that was ratified last month. That\u2019s nearly seven-times what last season\u2019s No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers made. The No. 2 and No. 3 picks will get $466,913 and $436,016, respectively.<\/p>\n Second- and third-round picks will make $270,000 \u2014 which is more than the previous maximum salary in the old CBA.<\/p>\n The Wings could take guard Azzi Fudd from UConn, Spanish forward Awa Fam Thiam or UCLA center Lauren Betts on Monday night to complement a talented roster led by Bueckers.<\/p>\n Bueckers and Fudd were teammates at UConn and helped the Huskies win the national championship in 2025. Fam Thiem, who is 19, is a talented Spanish player currently playing in her country\u2019s domestic league.<\/p>\n Betts is one of six UCLA players in the draft. The 6-foot-7 center helped the Bruins win their first national championship eight days ago. UCLA has a chance to break UConn\u2019s record of having four players drafted in the first round, a mark the Huskies set in 2002. They also could top Tennessee (2008), Notre Dame (2019) and South Carolina (2023), which all had five players drafted in total.<\/p>\n Minnesota picks second with Seattle, Washington and Chicago rounding out the top five. Expansion teams Toronto and Portland pick next. The Tempo chose to have the higher pick in the college draft<\/a><\/span> after winning a coin toss, giving the Fire the top choice in the expansion draft earlier this month.<\/p>\n Golden State is next with Washington owning the ninth and 11th picks. Indiana chooses between them. Connecticut, Atlanta, Seattle and the Sun close out the first round.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n