Expected top-two pick Rhyne Howard will attend 2022 WNBA Draft

Kentucky Women’s Basketball superstar Rhyne Howard is under a week away from reaching her dream of playing professional basketball. But where will she land in the draft? Some recent trade news has made that answer a bit cloudier.

On Wednesday, the Washington Mystics traded away the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft — which is set for Monday, April 11 — to the Atlanta Dream for the No. 3 and No. 14 picks in the upcoming draft, along with the right to swap a pick in 2023 first-rounder.

As of late, Howard has been projected by ESPN and The Athletic to fall to the Indiana Fever at No. 2, partially due to the connection between current Fever interim general manager Lin Dunn, who was most recently the special assistant to the head coach at Kentucky before taking the Fever role during the middle of the season. Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith was the perceived No. 1 pick to the Mystics, but this trade could shake up the order.

A report from Brandon Sudge of the Atlanta Journal-Consitution indicates that the Dream will target Howard and three others with the top pick: Smith, Naz Hillmon (Michigan), and Shakira Austin (Ole Miss). However, it seems clear that the Dream would execute this upward move in order to snag either Howard or Smith at No. 1.

But wherever Howard ends up getting selected, she’ll be there in New York City to hear her name called. The WNBA put out a release on Wednesday announcing that Howard, along with 11 other highly-touted prospects, will attend the event, which airs live on ESPN at 7:00 p.m. EST. Among some of the familiar-faced participants joining Howard will be Tennessee’s Rae Burrell and Louisville’s Emily Engstler.

The Dream will be splitting hairs trying to decide between Howard and Smith, who are in a tier above the rest of the players in the draft. The Athletic‘s Chantel Jennings recently surveyed three different WNBA general managers on various future draftees, who had nothing but good things to say about the former Wildcat.

“Rhyne at the guard or wing position is the overwhelming best prospect this year. I don’t think there’s anybody close to her. She’s got a very diverse skill set. I think the question on her is her motor and her passion and her fight — that’s going to be everyone’s question mark around her.”

“It’s hard when a team’s overall journey maybe impacts an individual player, but same thing, Rhyne and NaLyssa were picked No. 1 and No. 2. … I thought she had enough good moments to keep herself there. One-A and one-B, I’d say Rhyne is one-A and NaLyssa is one-B.”

“She’s the top of the top. Gifted, multi-dimensional, can play the one, two, three or four. I can’t remember the last time we had anyone like her in the draft — someone who’s so gifted at some many positions, who can defend, rebound, run, play the point, play the four, so versatile. She has the potential to be a franchise player wherever she goes.”

The Athletic

But the same GMs were just as complimentary of Smith. Also of note (which realistically may mean nothing) is that Smith’s head coach at Baylor, Nikki Collen, was previously the Dream’s head coach from 2018-20. In theory, there could be a connection there, but we’ll have to wait and see how it plays out on Monday.