Having the top pick in Monday's WNBA draft virtually guaranteed the Dallas Wings an "A" in ESPN's draft grades. And then the Wings did even better.

As expected, they selected UConn guard Paige Bueckers at No. 1. Dallas then went guard-heavy on three of its four other picks, and at least a couple have a solid chance to make the Wings' roster.

Two teams in rebuild mode -- the Washington Mystics and Connecticut Sun -- also had strong drafts. The league's newest team, the expansion Golden State Valkyries, didn't grade as well (their expansion draft also raised eyebrows). But there's always a chance for teams to prove these grades wrong -- sometimes for better, sometimes for worse.

The Phoenix Mercury had no picks Monday and the defending champion New York Liberty had just one -- the final selection -- so there's no grade for either franchise. But here are our initial impressions of the 2025 draft for the other 11 franchises.

Jump to: ATL | CHI | CON | DAL | GS | IND | LV | LA | MIN | SEA | WAS

Dallas Wings: A+

1: Paige Bueckers, UConn Huskies, PG
12: Aziaha James, NC State Wolfpack, SG
14: Madison Scott, Ole Miss Rebels, SG
27: JJ Quinerly, West Virginia Mountaineers, SG
31: Aaronette Vonleh, Baylor Bears, C

It's a new era for Dallas, which is under new leadership after missing the playoffs last season (the Wings reached the 2023 semifinals). New Wings GM Curt Miller is a longtime WNBA coach and general manager who excelled with defense in his time leading the Sun --and the picks in his first draft with Dallas reflect that.

Admittedly, it will be hard for James, Scott and Quinerly to all make this roster. But they are all good players who will make camp very competitive.

With veteran Arike Ogunbowale, Bueckers and James on the roster, the Wings will be hard to guard. And Dallas' perimeter defense could be outstanding. Expect this team to play very fast and take advantage of all of Bueckers' many talents.

Connecticut Sun: A

7: Aneesah Morrow, LSU Tigers, PF
8: Saniya Rivers, NC State Wolfpack, SF
25: Rayah Marshall, USC Trojans, PF

The Sun had to be thrilled that Morrow was still available at No. 7. Like her former LSU teammate Angel Reese -- and last year's No. 7 pick -- was for Chicago, Morrow could be a rebounding star right away.

After the Sun lost longtime face of the franchise Alyssa Thomas -- known as "The Engine" -- to Phoenix through free agency, now Morrow comes in as a new motor.

Rivers is long, quick and versatile, a player who filled up box scores for the Wolfpack. Marshall is strong and dependable as an interior defender and rebounder, with some untapped offensive potential, too.

Washington Mystics: A-

3: Sonia Citron, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, SG
4: Kiki Iriafen, USC Trojans, PF
6: Georgia Amoore, Kentucky Wildcats, PG
23: Lucy Olsen, Iowa Hawkeyes, SG
32: Zaay Green, Alabama Crimson Tide, PG

The top three here, of course, are the most likely to make an impact for a new-look Mystics franchise. Citron is an excellent defender and dependable scorer who brings Notre Dame's famed "Guard U" prowess to the Mystics. Iriafen turned herself into a lottery pick with her junior and senior seasons. Amoore is small but she is an offensive force and will do whatever is needed of her on defense.

But Connecticut's depth impressed, too: Olsen excited Big Ten fans with her scoring ability in her one season at Iowa, and Green also had a big impact in her one season at Alabama.

Indiana Fever: B+

19: Makayla Timpson, Florida State Seminoles, PF
20: Bree Hall, South Carolina Gamecocks, SG
33: Yvonne Ejim, Gonzaga Bulldogs, PF

The Fever won the draft the past two years with two No. 1 picks who won Rookie of the Year in Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark. After making the playoffs for the first time since 2016, the Fever didn't have a first-round pick this draft but made the most of what they had.

Timpson just might be the steal of the second round; she has averaged a double-double the last two seasons for the Seminoles and could be another good target for Clark's passes. Hall is a lock-down defender and former teammate of Boston's at South Carolina.

Seattle Storm: B+

2: Dominique Malonga, France, C
26: Serena Sundell, Kansas State Wildcats, PG
29: Madison Conner, TCU Horned Frogs, SG
34: Jordan Hobbs, Michigan Wolverines, PG

We are ready to be wowed by Malonga, who could be one of the next great post players in the WNBA despite still being a teenager. She will have some excellent mentoring from players like veteran All-Star Nneka Ogwumike with Seattle.

Malonga alone would earn a good grade for the Storm, but Sundell, a third-round pick, has a shot to make the team. She loved passing to Ayoka Lee at K-State, and now she could have another 6-foot-6 target in Malonga, along with Ogwumike and 6-foot-4 Ezi Magbegor.

Chicago Sky: B

10: Ajsa Sivka, Slovenia, PF
11: Hailey Van Lith, TCU Horned Frogs, PG
16: Maddy Westbeld, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, PF
22: Aicha Coulibaly, Texas A&M Aggies, SG

A lot of this grade depends on Sivka, a highly regarded teen who -- like Malonga -- doesn't turn 20 until November. If she adapts well to the WNBA, the Sky could have a very good young post core, with Sivka alongside sophomores Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso.

Van Lith, who played one season at LSU with Reese, reached the Elite Eight five times as a college player; we will see if she continues that success in the pro game. Westbeld might have a chance to make the roster, too.

Los Angeles Sparks: B-

9: Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama Crimson Tide, SG
21: Sania Feagin, South Carolina Gamecocks, PF
28: Liatu King, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, SF

Barker wasn't this high on our draft board, but she had her career-best year as a senior, shooting 56% from 2-point range and 37.5% from behind the arc.

Looking back, though, Feagin might be the most impactful player the Sparks get in this draft. She came into her own this season for the Gamecocks and could just be scratching the surface of her ability.

Las Vegas Aces: B-

13: Aaliyah Nye, Alabama Crimson Tide, SG
35: Harmoni Turner, Harvard Crimson, SG

The Aces lost their first-round pick for league disciplinary reasons, but they made the most of these two selections, and at least one could make the roster. Nye could be a good fit for coach Becky Hammon's offense -- she made more than 100 3-pointers each of the last two seasons, shooting 41.7% behind the arc as a junior and 45.5 as a senior. Turner was one of the top scorers in the country (22.5 PPG) this season and led Harvard to the NCAA tournament.

Atlanta Dream: C

18: Te-Hina Paopao, South Carolina Gamecocks, SG
36: Taylor Thierry, Ohio State Buckeyes, SF

With picks this late, there's no guarantee of getting someone who can make the team. But Paopao's shooting ability might give her a chance . She wasn't as sharp from 3-point range for South Carolina this season (37%) as she was in 2023-24 (46.8%). But we know what kind of shooter she can be.

Thierry was one of the Big Ten's best defenders; even if she doesn't make this roster, she could have a future in the WNBA.

Minnesota Lynx: C

15: Anastasiia Kosu, Russia, SF
24: Dalayah Daniels, Washington Huskies, PF
37: Aubrey Griffin, UConn Huskies, SF

A big part of the reason the grade is middling for the Lynx is that they didn't really need anything from this draft. They were an eyelash from winning the WNBA title last year and bring back all those key players. They traded their first-round pick (No. 11) to Chicago.

But the player to watch is Kosu, a promising youngster who could end up at some point making this draft look quite good for Minnesota.

Golden State Valkyries: C-

5: Juste Jocyte, Lithuania, SG
17: Shyanne Sellers, Maryland Terrapins, PG
30: Kaitlyn Chen, UConn Huskies, PG

Part of the difficulty with evaluating the Valkyries' first draft is we really don't know how this team will fit together since they've yet to play a game as a franchise.

Sellers dropped further than we expected; perhaps she makes an impact on this roster. As for their first-round pick, we don't want to underplay Jocyte's potential; she is highly regarded among the young players from overseas. But it seems like the Valkyries are counting on her to make an immediate impact, and it might take longer.