WNBA Draft: Minnesota Lynx Take Olivia Miles with No. 2 Pick

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WNBA Draft: Minnesota Lynx Take Olivia Miles with No. 2 Pick

After the free agency frenzy that has filled the last week or so, focus shifted to the 2026 WNBA Draft on Monday as the 15 teams in the league compress an offseason’s worth of action into a month.

The league held its draft in New York City on Monday, with most of the top prospects in attendance to see where they would land and with whom they would enter the WNBA.

The Dallas Wings had the top overall pick, with many wondering what direction they would go to surround Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, and Wings newcomer Jessica Shepard. Dallas ended up going with Azzi Fudd from UConn as the top pick, leaving multiple promising prospects for the Minnesota Lynx to choose from at No. 2.

With the second overall pick, Minnesota selected Olivia Miles from TCU.

Get to know how Miles and the upcoming 45th overall pick can help Minnesota in 2026 and beyond as the newest members of the Lynx, as well as the full draft order to see which prospects went where.

Over the final months leading up to the draft, Miles became a popular name jumping up mock drafts, especially during the NCAA Tournament. With some mock drafts having her as high as the No. 1 pick, she “slid” to Minnesota at No. 2 and will immediately help bolster the Lynx guard group that lost Natisha Hiedeman in free agency.

Miles had a strong collegiate career, playing the first four years of her career with Notre Dame before hitting the transfer portal and rounding out her career with TCU this past season. In four seasons with Notre Dame, Miles averaged 14.2 points, 6.5 assists, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals over 32.1 minutes per game.

In her most recent season with TCU, she turned things up a notch by averaging 19.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.8 steals over 35.4 minutes per game. Over her entire five-year college career, Miles finished with shooting marks of 47.2% from the field and 33.1% from three.

When it comes to Miles’ skillset, she is exactly what you would want in a floor general. Miles’ court vision and processing of the game are impressive, as she can hurt you from anywhere on the floor offensively, notably from three.

One question mark with Miles’ game is her defense, something that could be of concern at the WNBA level. But, if there is one team that could help speed up the development of Miles and help her become a well-rounded player on both ends of the floor, it’s Minnesota.

With the final pick in the 2026 WNBA draft, the Lynx selected Lani White, a guard out of the University of Utah. White played three of her four collegiate seasons at Utah with a one-year stop at Virginia Tech. White averaged 15.9 points per game, including 40.4 percent shooting from beyond the arc in her senior season.

White, along with her Big 12 conference counterpart Miles, will round out the Lynx’s backcourt depth behind All-Stars Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride.