Washington Mystics’ Vision is unknown going into 2025, with the No. 4th in WNBA Draft
The Mystics have the 4th overall pick in the 2025 draft, as well as the 6th, 23rd, and 32nd picks.
Before the 2012 season, in the 2011 offseason, the Mystics missed an opportunity to have the number one overall.
This draft class has some of the best prospects, and the Dallas Wings are officially on the clock as of Sunday with the first overall pick, with most mock drafts selecting Paige Bueckers from the University of Connecticut.
Mike Thibault and Eric Thibault have left the team this offseasonNow that the draft is over, the focus is on who will be the next general manager and head coach for the Mystics. This offseason, Mike Thibault and Eric Thibault have left the team, and the Mystics are remodeling. More than likely, hiring will only occur in December at the latest. Because WNBA teams can start offering players the Qualifying and Core-player designations on January 11th, 2025. Free Agency begins on the 21st, and deals must be finalized by February 1st. What also makes this process a bit difficult on December 6th is the WNBA expansion as the league welcomes the Golden State Valkyries, and each team must protect six players. So, starting November 25th, each team has to decide who to protect.
The Mystics should protect Ariel Atkins, Brittney Sykes, Aaliyah Edwards, and Shakira Austin. Respectfully, the last two spots could be for grabs, as the Mystics have a good group of players with high potential, such as Jada Melbourne, Sika Kone, Emily Engslter, and even Julie Vanloo.
Lastly, the elephant in the room. Elena Della Donne… This narrative started on X, known as Twitter within the WNBA Twitter community. This year, Della Donne sat at this season, which surprised many people, and everyone began to point the finger at Mike Thibault as the problem. “The Mystics need to do right by Elena Della Donne,” “The Mystics did her Dirty”
The reality is Elena Della Donne had three choice coming into the 2024 offseason. Let us break it down.
- According to multiple reports, She could have signed the Max contract, which she refused to do. That is a choice.
- Seek a trade according to reports Las Vegas or Phoenix.
- She played a total of 51 games in 4 years.
- The Mystics can core here again in 2025.
The point is Della Donne is going to be 35 years old. What are the expectations from both sides? The Mystics have a lot of answers, and this offseason will answer those questions.