Live updates, analysis from the 2020 WNBA Draft

8:50 pm: That will do it for our WNBA live draft coverage! There are plenty of decisions that will be guessed and second-guessed here, and it came with plenty of controversy. And will we see a trade still involving some players that have already been selected? We’ll find out, but thanks for joining us this evening!

8:47 pm: Some more interesting picks get made here. Haley Gorecki at Duke falling to #31 and Seattle is a bit of a stunner, but the biggest might be Juicy Landrum from Baylor barely squeaking into the draft at #35 to Connecticut. Not too many people had her falling out of the second round, and to barely get selected after winning the national championship in 2019 is a bit of a surprise.

8:38 pm: Another pick to watch out for: Jaylyn Agnew of Creighton is a point guard that didn’t have a ton of help with the Blue Jays, but can do everything if a bit undersized. Some mock drafts had her much later or out of the draft at all, but the Mystics might be getting a backup point guard for their all-time team they’ve built for 2020 after adding Tina Charles to a championship winner.

8:29 pm: The LA Sparks might have just found a steal as well, with Beatrice Mompremier heading to Hollywood at No. 20. There were plenty of mock drafts that had her in the Top 10, and she’s got the body and size at 6’4 to play right away. She had 34 double-doubles in 50 games for The U, and there was some value in the pick here.

8:24 pm: And there goes Crystal Dangerfield at No. 16 to the Lynx, who likely made the biggest reach at #6, but also might have found the best value later at #16. She’s a bundle of energy and defense that shoots over 40% from three-point range.

8:18 pm: We make fun of too many commercials, and then the picks come in fast and furious and we can barely keep up! A very interesting first round, with some picks not falling into where we thought they might. And Crystal Dangerfield is still on the board!

We’ll group these Round 2 picks a bit as we post, but I think the biggest surprise is the Lynx reaching at No. 6 for Mikiah Herbert Harrigan. It changed everything, and helped allow players like Megan Walker to fall to No. 9.

8:12 pm: No. 12 New York Liberty: Jazmine Jones. The Louisville guard is a nice addition to play in the backcourt with Ionescu as well. Is she a part of the trade Rebecca Lobo mentioned during the ESPN broadcast?

8:10 pm: No. 11 Seattle Storm: Kitija Laksa. As someone that covered Kit for three years at USF, you will not see a better pure scorer in this class. The questions are about her defense and rebounding, but she can get buckets on anyone and everyone. Her size and the use of her body helps as well. And she’ll have a chance to develop with Sue and Stew in the Emerald City.

8:04 pm: No. 10 Phoenix Mercury: Jocelyn Willoughby. Maybe the smartest player in the draft, she’s a complete guard on both sides of the floor. Can rebound and defend right away, but is explosive enough to score as well. Maybe not a super-duper-star, but a big-time player, and she’ll have plenty of veterans to learn from in her rookie season like Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner.

7:59 pm: No. 9 New York Liberty: Megan Walker. A steal at No. 9. The AAC player of the year, a first-team All-American, and a lights out shooter. Came out early and can play at this level right away, but she’s a 3-and-D type that will feed off of Ionescu.

7:50 pm: No. 8 Chicago Sky: Ruthy Hebard. The No. 8 selection in the draft, and the third Oregon Duck. Probably the best roll player in PNR in the draft, and it shows in her absurd 69% field goal percentage. Not a great shooter, so you’ll have to play a more conventional offense on the floor, but still pretty unstoppable.

7:46 pm: No. 7 Dallas Wings: Tyasha Harris. They got possibly the most complete point guard in the draft, one that brings leadership skills and everything that a coach might want to a team that will be young. Could be a great fit with Sabally and Alarie, and Arike Ogunbowale won’t have to handle the ball anymore.

7:43 pm: No. 6 Minnesota Lynx: Mikiah Herbert Harrigan. It has gone wheels up here! I don’t think there was a mock draft anywhere that had her in the top-half of the first round. We know she can play, but maybe some questions about her ceiling. A big-time stunner that the Lynx would choose her this early.

7:39 pm: No. 5 Dallas Wings: Bella Alarie. A stunner! We know she can do everything at 6’4, and got double-teamed basically every touch in the Ivy League. The question is how can she do against better competition and teammates. She’s off to a rebuilding Dallas team and will likely get a chance to learn pro basketball on the fly.

7:38 pm: As we go to commercial, Holly Rowe mentions there might not be enough swag for both Carter and Courtney Williams. The drip at Dream games will be very much on point this season. They might not be the best team in the league, but they could be the best on social media. Stand up 404, and go support this team!

7:31 pm: No. 4 Atlanta Dream: Chennedy Carter. She’s a pure scorer, but she’ll need to involve teammates more than she did at Texas A&M. Her size is a bit of a concern as is her defense, but man she can fill it up. As exciting a player as you’ll see in this class.

7:28 pm: No. 3 Indiana Fever: Lauren Cox. The easiest selection in the draft, as Indiana was just going to take whomever Dallas didn’t between Sabally and Cox. Cox is a defensive stalwart who can protect the rim, but not as much of a perimeter player. She’ll get plenty of time to start for an Indiana team that is in full rebuild mode.

7:22 pm: No. 2 Dallas Wings: Satou Sabally. Just too much talent here for Dallas to pass up. At 6’4 she can play outside and in, as well as protect the rim. If not for her own teammate, and in a lot of other seasons, she’d be the first choice overall.

7:20 pm: Aaaaaand after one (1) selection we have a commercial. I know there’s lots of advertising for live sports that’s not getting run right now but c’mon y’all!

7:16 pm: “I’m just really blessed to be in this position that I’ve worked so hard for my entire life.” She also says she’s excited to get to Brooklyn. Not much of this is surprising so far.

7:15 pm: No. 1 New York Liberty: Sabrina Ionescu. Has a chance to be the best women’s basketball player of all-time. Can literally do anything on a basketball court at 5’11. If you put in a lab the type of player you’d want to build a franchise around, it would be her.

7:11 pm: And the New York Liberty are on the clock! Not sure what’s taking so long here, as they could have put this card in about 10 seconds after the WNBA lottery was over.

7:08 pm: A nice move by the league here to honor the three players killed in the helicopter crash with Kobe Bryant as honorary WNBA draft picks: Alyssa Altobelli, Gigi Bryant, and Payton Chester. With some video added and clips from their family members.

7:00 pm: We are live! Everyone is explaining the difference between a “virtual draft” and a regular draft, which I believe is... that people will be at home instead of the same building. And here comes Cathy Engelbert live from her home in New Jersey!

6:25 pm: Greetings all! Right we’re watching ESPN and just watched Bill Plaschke talking about the WNBA with Frank Isola. You’ll be stunned to learn Mina Kimes sounded far more informed. Anyway, we’re gearing up for tonight’s festivities and hitting refresh to see when we can get our New York Liberty Ionescu 20 jerseys at the official league online store, we are of the opinion that there’s going be at least one more deal before the first round is over.

The 2020 WNBA Draft gets underway at 7 p.m. ET Friday evening, and airs live on ESPN and streaming at Watch ESPN. The New York Liberty have the first pick and are expected by everybody to select Oregon star Sabrina Ionescu to start the night. After that, we know some of the top names, but it is fairly wide open as to who goes where.

The Liberty have the most picks following their trade with the Mystics and Dallas Wings, including three in the first round and two at the top of the second round. The Las Vegas Aces have the fewest with only one third round pick. And our big board of prospects that all should be selected somewhere tonight is available here. You can watch SB Nation’s Matt Ellentuck breaking down the draft throughout the evening at his Twitch channel with Natasha Cloud, Gabby Williams, and Alex Bazzell.

The Tina Charles trade gave the Mystics a roster that could shatter every pro basketball offensive record we’ve ever seen, but it just seems that either New York or Dallas needs to make a move here to smooth out their rookie-ness. Only one way to find out here, and that’s to follow along!

We’ll be following tonight’s events through the entire three round draft — starting with the Liberty at No. 1 and ending with the Washington Mystics at No. 36. There will be no drama at No. 1, but it should get exciting after that. We’ll update with picks and analysis all through the evening.

Full WNBA Draft order

1st round

1. New York Liberty: Sabrina Ionescu, G, Oregon
2. Dallas Wings: Satou Sabally, F, Oregon
3. Indiana Fever: Lauren Cox, F, Baylor
4. Atlanta Dream: Chennedy Carter, G, Texas A&M
5. Dallas Wings: Bella Alarie, F, Princeton
6. Minnesota Lynx: Mikiah Herbert Harrigan, F, South Carolina
7. Dallas Wings: Tyasha Harris, G, South Carolina
8. Chicago Sky: Ruthy Hebard, F, Oregon
9. New York Liberty: Megan Walker, F, UConn
10. Phoenix Mercury: Jocelyn Willoughby, F, Virginia
11. Seattle Storm: Kitija Laksa, F, South Florida
12. New York Liberty: Jazmine Jones, G, Louisville

2nd round

13. New York Liberty: Kylee Shook, F, Louisville
14. Indiana Fever: Kathleen Doyle, G, Iowa
15. New York Liberty: Leanna Odom, F, Duke
16. Minnesota Lynx: Crystal Dangerfield, G, UConn
17. Atlanta Dream: Brittany Brewer, F, Texas Tech
18. Phoenix Mercury: Te’a Cooper, G, Baylor
19. Seattle Storm: Joiner Holmes, F, Texas
20. Los Angeles Sparks: Beatrice Mompremier, F, Miami
21. Dallas Wings: Luisa Geiselsodor, C, Germany
22. Los Angeles Sparks: Leonie Fiebich, G, Germany
23. Connecticut Sun: Kaila Charles, F, Maryland
24. Washington Mystics: Jaylyn Agnew, G, Creighton

3rd round

25. Atlanta Dream: Mikalya Pivec, G, Oregon State
26. New York Liberty: Erica Ogwumike, G, Rice
27. Atlanta Dream: Kobi Thornton, F, Clemson
28. Indiana Fever: Kamiah Smalls, G, James Madison
29. Phoenix Mercury: Stella Johnson, G, Rider
30. Chicago Sky: Japreece Dean, G, UCLA
31. Seattle Storm: Haley Gorecki, G, Duke
32. Chicago Sky: Kiah Gillespie, F, FSU
33. Las Vegas Aces: Lauren Manis, F, Holy Cross
34. Los Angeles Sparks: Tynice Martin, G, West Virginia
35. Connecticut Sun: Juicy Landrum, G, Baylor
36. Washington Mystics: Sug Sutton, G, Texas