Last week, the WNBA announced it will be holding the WNBA Draft Lottery on November 23rd. This will determine the order of the first five picks of the 2026 WNBA Draft. Teams picking are the Dallas Wings,
Minnesota Lynx (who own Chicago’s pick), Seattle Storm (who own the LA Sparks’ pick), Washington Mystics, and Chicago Sky (who own the Connecticut Sun’s pick). That is also the order of who has the best odds to win the No. 1 overall pick, with Dallas having the best odds for the second year in a row.
For Toronto fans wondering how the Toronto Tempo fit into this, they will pick directly after the lottery, per expansion rules. With five lottery teams this year, the two expansion teams (Toronto and Portland) will have the first two picks after the lottery, six and seven. Since Toronto was announced as the first expansion franchise, they will likely get No. 6, and Portland will get No. 7. Then, the rest of the draft will be ordered as normal. After announcing the hiring of Sandy Brondello as their head coach last week, the Tempo can finally shift their attention to building out their roster.
Now, as the NCAA college season starts, mock WNBA drafts are starting to pop up. As the season continues, we will get a clearer picture of who could be available at No. 6 for the Toronto Tempo to select. Let’s round up who some of the big mocks have at the No. 6 spot:
- ESPN: Ta’Niya Latson (South Carolina)
- Tankathon: Awa Fam (Valencia)
- Bleacher Report: Ta’Niya Latson (South Carolina)
- CBS: Awa Fam (Valencia)
Awa Fam – Valencia
Awa Fam is an international basketball prospect who will be 19 at the time of the draft and from Spain. She plays in the Euroleague for Valencia, and was their youngest ever player when she signed on at 15 years old. Per international rules, she will be eligible to declare for the 2026 WNBA Draft and immediately come play in the league.
She is a 6-foot-4 centre, and like most basketball players coming from Europe, is extremely versatile in the way she uses her athleticism, handle, and vision to be more dynamic than the average post player. She can shoot from distance as well, and went 2-2 from three in a recent Valencia game versus Fenerbahce where she also shot 7-11 from the field. To be honest, she likely won’t hang around as low as No. 6 for very long, as mock draft makers and scouts start to realize how good she really is for her age. She has the potential to boost in stock and even threatens to overtake Lauren Betts for the consensus No. 1 prospect in this draft.
If Toronto can get Fam on their inaugural team, it would be a long-term move in securing a core player for them for the next 4+ years. With an international prospect like Fam, who will be just 19 years old when she enters the league, the development process can take a little bit longer, but Fam is already a little ahead, having professional experience overseas.
Ta’Niya Latson – South Carolina
Another name frequently at the No. 6 spot is Ta’Niya Latson, who just transferred from Florida State (Scottie Barnes’s alma mater) to South Carolina (Collin Murray-Boyles’s alma mater) for her final year of NCAA eligibility. Latson is an extremely talented offensive threat and was the best scorer in the country last year.
During her 2024-25 season with the Seminoles, Latson averaged 25.2 points per game and had some big moments in ACC play. She shot 45.1% from the field and 34.3% from three that season as well. Yet, knowing her potential and knowing she had one last year in the NCAA to boost her draft stock, she decided to transfer out of Florida State. She picked South Carolina, the current No. 2-ranked program in the country, to spend her last year, knowing how Dawn Staley produces top WNBA prospects.
Latson spent her summer levelling up with the Gamecocks’ training staff as well, increasing her jumping height, sprinting speed, and strength. In the Gamecocks’ 114-47 win over Bowling Green last week, Latson scored 17 points, a nice follow-up to her opening game performance of 20 points on 70% shooting from the field.
No matter who Toronto picks up in the expansion draft and free agency, drafting Latson could give them some solid depth at the shooting guard position. She knows how to find ways to score no matter her opponent, and she always found ways to lead her team to victory when she was playing at Florida State. Now on a more balanced South Carolina team, she is still finding her spots and getting points on the board.
As the college season progresses, these mock drafts have the potential to change — yet right now, these are two solid prospects for the Toronto Tempo.
