During Sunday night's WNBA draft lottery, the Houston Comets will find out whether or not they have the No. 1 pick in 2027, which will help determine the direction the franchise takes at a pivotal juncture.
The Connecticut Sun, who will become the Comets next season, finished the 2026 season tied with the Toronto Tempo for best odds to receive the No. 1 draft pick. Due to winning a head-to-head tiebreaker with Toronto, Houston is guaranteed a top-three pick – and a meaningful opportunity to build momentum for the Comets' return to the WNBA.
"You look around the league at the last four or five years of lottery picks, you've seen some pretty generational players come out of college and talent that you're now seeing in the WNBA Finals or WNBA semifinals,"
Comets president Jennifer Rizzotti told USA TODAY Sports. "It's just exciting to think about the type of player that we're going to be able to draft, and knowing that they can make an immediate impact, that we've built a solid roster that we can add to. But having that generational-type player can really accelerate our plans pretty quickly, and that was certainly part of the process of the last two seasons."
Before the franchise's move to Houston, Rizzotti and general manager Morgan Tuck spent the last two seasons in Connecticut rebuilding the roster. In 2026, the Sun had the second-youngest roster in the WNBA and finished the season 11-33. Tuck and Rizzotti were also intentional about creating salary cap space that will allow them to take some big swings at signing new players during WNBA free agency this winter.
That strategy will be dictated in part by who the Comets plan to draft with their lottery pick.
USC guard JuJu Watkins, who this month returned to the court from an ACL tear that sidelined her all of last season, is projected to be the No. 1 pick. Texas forward Madison Booker is the likely No. 2 pick, followed by Notre Dame guard Hannah Hidalgo. All three players were named preseason All-Americans.
When asked whether she considers Watkins and Booker the potential top two draft picks, Tuck praised both players.
"The impact that they have on their teams, and also the impact that they have on basketball and women's basketball, I think it's not something that you see every year," Tuck told USA TODAY Sports. "I don't know if I'd say it's so cut and dry because there's obviously a lot of great talent in this class, and I think we'll get to see that as the season goes on for NCAA. But I do think it's hard to pass up on those two just because of how much of an impact they have on their current teams and their style of play."
Between the Nov. 15 draft lottery and the 2027 WNBA Draft on April 12, Rizzotti and Tuck will attend college games to evaluate draft prospects and talk to their coaches.
"A lot of the work that we do isn't just about who the pick is, what number the pick is, but who that person is and how we can be ready to incorporate that into our roster and into our organization in the most positive way," Rizzotti said. "These women come out with a lot of pressure on them. They come around with a lot of notoriety on them already."
How JuJu Watkins or Madison Booker would fit in Houston
The Comets are looking to upgrade a roster that posted back-to-back 11-win seasons under head coach Rachid Meziane, who will keep his job and move with the franchise to Houston.
With input from players and coaches, Rizzotti and Tuck identified two priorities. The first is to add a go-to scorer who can get buckets in the clutch. That player could end up being whoever Houston drafts with its lottery pick, or it could be someone else the team signs this offseason.
Five Sun players averaged double-digit scoring during the 2026 season, led by Brittney Griner's 13.2 points per game. But Connecticut often wilted late in games and had the worst fourth-quarter point differential in the league.
Drafting JuJu Watkins or Madison Booker could solve that problem. Both are high-volume scorers with versatile skill sets who can create their own shots or generate looks for others, without sacrificing on the defensive end.
The Comets' second priority is adding veteran players whose experience and leadership can boost the team's performance on and off the court.
"I think anytime when you have a young team, the vets that you bring are really important," Tuck said. "So that's always the area that, as we get to free agency, we're really diving in and saying, 'OK, who do we feel like are the best fits?' whether that's bringing players back or signing new players. We know that we have to make some change. When you don't have a great record you can't just stay as is, but the veterans that we bring in are going to very key to the success that we have."
Houston Comets roster
The Comets currently have seven players under contract for 2027, according to Spotrac. They are:
- Nell Angloma (F)
- Aaliyah Edwards (F)
- Gianna Kneepkens (SG)
- Leïla Lacan (PG)
- Charlisse Leger-Walker (G)
- Olivia Nelson-Ododa (C/F)
- Saniya Rivers (SG)
Although Houston native Brittney Griner's contract expired after the 2026 season, at the Comets' logo reveal event Rizzotti specifically mentioned wanting Griner to finish out her WNBA career in her hometown, so it seems like the team will try to bring her back next season. Griner, the WNBA's all-time blocks leader, has said she would like to play in Houston if possible.
While Comets front office leaders made it clear they have ambitious plans to become a playoff team, Rizzotti also preached patience.
"We do need people to understand it's a process, and it's something we have been doing for two years," Rizzotti said on Oct. 29. "This isn't like overnight. We've been working on building our roster and building our future for the last two seasons. So just being able to temper expectations – even our own – to know that we can accelerate the growth of the team, but it's a really hard league. ... You gotta be really good, you gotta stay healthy, you gotta be deep, and that's what we're trying to build is that championship-caliber team from one all the way to 12."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Houston Comets get the WNBA's No. 1 pick in 2027? They find out Sunday.
