Last season, Lauren Betts and the UCLA Bruins advanced to the Final Four for the first time in the NCAA era. Now Betts wants a return trip. But the senior has a lot to aim for individually as well, including being the No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA draft.

Much must be settled before then. The WNBA is negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement with the union, the story that has dominated the narrative around the league all year.

The draft lottery, expansion drafts for Toronto and Portland and a mammoth free agency that will include most players not on rookie contracts all will have to take place before the 2026 draft.

In short, ESPN's mock draft now during the WNBA Finals is an exercise in many hypotheticals, a picture that gradually will become clearer over the next seven months. He

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