Analysis: Is Olivia Miles Still Best Option For Storm at No. 3 Overall?
The top five picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft are set, and the Seattle Storm will once again pick in the first three selections.
Even though the draft is more than four months away, the Storm likely already know which position they will target with the No. 3 overall pick. A potentially game-changing guard has to be at the top of that list.
As good as Dominique Malonga is, she needs some help to get the Storm where they want to go. That begins with a quality draft selection as the team looks to build a young core.
Former Notre Dame and current TCU guard Olivia Miles came up in the 2025 draft cycle as a potential top-2 pick, and she’s back in the conversation in this upcoming draft after playing one more year of college basketball.
Miles should still be the pick at No. 3
As soon as the Dallas Wings once again landed the No. 1 overall pick, it became far more likely that UConn star Azzi Fudd will end up reuniting with Paige Buckers in the WNBA.
The pair have been open about being in a relationship, and it’s not often a WNBA team gets to land two former UConn stars in back-to-back drafts. That alone builds more hype around the roster and provides storylines for a franchise that finished tied for the worst record in the league last season (10-34). Fudd is probably headed to Dallas.
Spain center Awa Fam is the 2026 version of Malonga, and she has a chance to go in the same spot as the now-Storm star. Fam will turn 20 only a few months after being drafted, so she’ll only be slightly older than Malonga when she entered the league.
The Minnesota Lynx are a bit of a wild card with their pick, but Fam could certainly be the pick there. UCLA center Lauren Betts could also be in the mix if Minnesota wants a more WNBA-ready option in the post.
Then it comes to the Storm. Seattle could go all in on its post, then build around Nika Mühl, Jordan Horston and Lexie Brown. The opportunity to have an even further boosted backcourt seems like an opportunity the Storm shouldn’t pass up, however.
Miles is averaging 18.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game in her final college season. She’s also shooting nearly 49 percent from the field as a true point guard.
If Miles and Malonga established a connection quickly, there’s a chance the Storm could immediately become more formidable — even with all the question marks through the rest of the lineup.
Miles brings the ability to distribute the ball and score efficiently, filling a critical role if Skylar Diggins doesn’t return in 2026. Mühl could fill that role, but she has to show she can stay healthy. Mühl will already be 25 years old when the season begins, and she has played in just 16 WNBA games.
The main concern around next season is whether Malonga will be ready to take on a full-time starting role. She showed the ability to be successful on both sides of the court as a rookie, but the wear-and-tear of a long season wasn’t as much of a factor.
Malonga needs to focus on putting on mass in the offseason to withstand the bigger post players in the WNBA.
Assuming Malonga can hold up, there’s no reason not to bring in a premier rookie guard to help provide a balanced roster. If some of the pieces from the 2025 roster return and new free agents come in, Seattle could have an especially high ceiling.
As Dallas discovered, even one top-3 pick won’t turn the franchise around. But both the Wings and Storm will have a chance to reshape their roster construction how they see fit. Miles, barring a sudden standout emerging late in the college season, remains the best fit in Seattle.
