Lynx Have Opportunity They Haven’t Had Recently In Upcoming WNBA Draft

The Lynx are in a weird spot as they head into the 2019 WNBA Draft.

Weird might not be the right word. Unique? Exciting?

Those are probably better words to describe it, but regardless, when previewing the 2019 WNBA Draft as a Lynx fan, you’re in unchartered territory.

From 2011-2018, this team won four championships. And when you win a championship, you aren’t rewarded with high draft picks. Instead, you get a trophy, a ring and a parade.

This is a team that hasn’t picked in the top 10 since 2012 when the Lynx picked Devereaux Peters third overall. Since then, first-round draft picks have included Lindsey Moore, Tricia Liston and Alexis Jones. Jones, of course, is still on the roster and should have a huge opportunity to improve in 2019.

With Lindsay Whalen retiring and the roster with a bunch of moving parts, Lynx GM and Coach Cheryl Reeve understands there’s a huge opportunity to pick a player at No. 6 who will likely be at the very least a rotational player. On top of that, the Lynx also have three second-round picks and a third-round pick.

You never want to make excuses for draft picks that don’t work out, but when you’re constantly picking at the end of the first round, the odds are stacked against you. Plus, the Lynx were in constant win-now mode for eight seasons, so sometimes, trading that pick for a veteran player who betters fits the team’s timeline made complete sense.

“You weren’t necessarily able to add pieces that changed the outlook of the team, so now we’re in a place in the middle of the round, probably getting a player that’s going to be really important to us, as our team goes through some changes,” Reeve said in a phone interview.

Keep up with us over the next month as we cover the 2019 WNBA Draft. Get to know the prospects the Lynx could take over at our Draft Central site.