Five Things To Know: The Toronto Tempo and the WNBA Draft Lottery on Sunday

TORONTO — The WNBA Draft Lottery will be held on Sunday night in New York City, with the Houston Comets, Los Angeles Sparks, Portland Fire, Seattle Storm, Washington Mystics and Toronto Tempo all vying for the top overall pick in the 2027 women’s basketball league’s draft.

The Tempo are entering their second year in the league, and the upcoming draft could help them improve on their 11-33 record from their inaugural season.

Here are five things to know ahead of the lottery:

ODDS ON FAVOURITE — The Comets — formerly the Connecticut Sun — and Tempo have the best odds of winning the lottery. Both have a 32.9 per cent chance of getting the top pick afterp posting identical .250 winning percentages over the past two seasons. Washington has the third-best odds of winning the first overall pick (16.1 per cent) after the Mystics traded two-time all-star guard Ariel Atkins to the Chicago Sky for their selection back in 2025.

TOP PROSPECT — Whoever wins the draft lottery will likely select University of Southern California guard JuJu Watkins. Watkins has averaged 25.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.7 blocks per game over three seasons with the Trojans. She was The Associated Press’s 2025 National Player of the Year and is a two-time AP all-American.

NOT BAD COMPANY — If the Tempo don’t win the lottery, they would likely pick either Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo or Texas forward Madison Booker. Hidalgo has averaged 24 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 4.7 steals per game over four seasons with the Fighting Irish. Booker has 21 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.8 steals per game over four seasons for the Longhorns.

2026 DRAFT CLASS — Toronto selected UCLA guard Kiki Rice with the sixth overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft, one of the cornerstone players of the Tempo’s inaugural season. Rice averaged 13.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in her rookie WNBA season. Toronto took guard Teonni Key and Saffron Shiels in the second round and Charlise Dunn in the third round. Key averaged 2.2 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 0.5 assists over 39 games for the Tempo, while Shiels and Dunn didn’t play in the WNBA last season.

CAP SPACE — The Tempo only have six players signed for the 2027 season. Five of them are guards: Marina Mabrey, Brittney Sykes, Julie Allemand, Key and Rice. Aneesah Morrow is the only forward rostered for the upcoming season. Toronto also has picks in the second and third rounds of the WNBA draft, and it’s likely that it will use them to add some size at forward, ideally a centre, to balance its lineup. Their US$4.4 million of cap space is the fifth most in the 15-team league.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2026.

John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press