The WNBA Draft Lottery will be held Sunday night in New York City, with the Toronto Tempo among the teams pursuing the top overall pick in the 2027 draft.
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The WNBA Draft Lottery is scheduled for Sunday night in New York City, determining the order for the 2027 women’s basketball league draft.
Toronto Tempo is one of six teams vying for the top overall selection, joining the Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, Portland Fire, Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics.
Odds point to strong contention: the Comets and the Tempo have the best chances of winning the lottery at 32.9 per cent each, while Washington holds the third-best odds at 16.1 per cent after trading two-time all-star guard Ariel Atkins to the Chicago Sky for a selection in 2025.
The player most likely to be chosen if a team lands the first pick is University of Southern California guard JuJu Watkins, who has averaged 25.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game across three seasons with the Trojans.
If the Tempo do not win the lottery, the next tier of potential first-round choices includes Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo and Texas forward Madison Booker. Hidalgo has averaged 24 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 4.7 steals per game over four seasons, while Booker has averaged 21 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.8 steals per game over four seasons.
Toronto enters its second season with an 11-33 record from its inaugural year. The Tempo selected UCLA guard Kiki Rice sixth overall in the 2026 WNBA Draft, and Rice averaged 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists in her rookie WNBA season.
The Tempo also took guard Teonni Key and Saffron Shiels in the second round and Charlise Dunn in the third round of the 2026 draft; Key averaged 2.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.5 assists over 39 games, while Shiels and Dunn did not play in the WNBA last season.
For 2027, Toronto has six players signed, including guards Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, Julie Allemand, Teonni Key and Kiki Rice, with Aneesah Morrow as its only forward.
The Tempo also have second- and third-round picks in the WNBA draft, and their reported US$4.4 million cap space is the fifth-highest in the 15-team league.
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