The full value of the Mystics trading the 2022 No. 1 pick is yet to be seen
Value of Mystics 2022 No. 1 pick trade is yet to be seen originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Last offseason the Washington Mystics struck gold in the WNBA Draft lottery. Entering with the fourth-best odds to win the top overall pick, the team jumped to the No. 1 pick just two seasons removed from a championship. And with such a valuable commodity in their possession, it was traded away to maximize the organization's future. A future that got pushed back a little bit farther after Monday's draft-night trade.
That No. 1 pick now will give a sizable boost to the organization for three drafts in a four-year span.
The original awarding of the pick was an energizer for a team that had suffered their worst two-season stretch in the Mike Thibault era for Mystics basketball. They were looking for their first No. 1 selection since Chamique Holdsclaw in 1999.
That bright, young piece was going to be perfect to insert into a veteran-led squad that could contend for a title. Two-time WNBA MVP Elena Delle Donne was going to be back healthy after missing over 90% of games over the previous two years. This pick could potentially bridge the gap to the latter half of Delle Donne's career as well.
But Thibault didn't jump at the opportunity to draft Rhyne Howard out of Kentucky, nor any other prospect for that matter. Washington's focus, instead, was to maximize the value of the pick. All trade options were on the table.
Obtaining the No. 1 pick is a rare occurrence for an organization like the Mystics. Competing for championships year after year doesn't afford one the chance for this type of asset to fall into their hands. Typically, these picks are there for bad teams to get better, not good teams to hit a reset button.
That opportunity was not lost on Thibault. It was traded away to move down just two spots and gain so much more.
A year later and the return on that pick grew further following the 2023 WNBA Draft. Giving up the No. 1 overall pick has resulted in Washington acquiring 2022 Rooke of the Year runner-up Shakira Austin (No. 3 overall), second-round selection Christyn Williams (No. 14 overall), a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 first-round pick.
"Well, we'll probably let you know in 2025 how that worked out," Thibault said on draft night when asked if they maximized the value of the pick. "But at the moment, yes, I mean, we moved up four spots in the draft. It allowed us to have something that was desirable to another team.
"I think no matter what everybody would have to say that our draft pick by switching picks last year worked out pretty well getting Shakira Austin, that worked out for us. And so to do that and get what we wanted a year ago and get something that improved this year and into the future, that's probably the most you can hope for from something like that. And so, [we'll] just keep trying to play it forward until we see the player that fits the next thing we want."
Trading lottery picks seems to be a habit for Thibault - who entered this offseason in just his first year as only a general manager and not a coach. In 2017 Washington traded away a lottery pick to bring in Delle Donne. That marks three straight instances where the Mystics have moved a lottery pick. But each time they've done so (Delle Donne and Austin), Washington made it count.
As for the 2025 first-rounder, that may end up being the most treasured consequence for all the moves that snowballed from ping-pong balls bouncing Washington's way in December 2021. It's a gamble but one that Mystics fans should feel confident in given the organization's track record.
