The Washington Mystics had three selections entering the 2023 WNBA Draft and ended up making just two, selecting South Florida’s Elena Tsineke in the second round at No. 20 overall and Txell Alarcon from Araski AES in the Spanish League at No. 32 overall.
The Mystics had made a deal with Atlanta last year that gave them the option to swap picks with the Dream in the first round this year, and they did, moving from No. 8 to No. 4 – but they then made a deal on Monday night with Dallas, sending the draft rights to Iowa State’s Stephanie Soares to Dallas for a 2024 second-round pick and 2025 first-round pick.
Tsineke, 23, was a four-year starter for the Bulls, starting 102 of 112 games (including all 33 this year). She averaged 17.9, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 35.2 minutes per game this season, and 14.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.3 dimes in her career. The 5-foot-7 shooting guard from Greece was the AAC’s Co-Player of the Year and first team All-Conference this past season, and was also an Honorable Mention All-American.
Araski, 19, is signed with Araski for the 2023-24 season, coming off a year in which she averaged 7.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in 24 minutes per game. The 5-foot-9 swing played for Spain in the 2019 European U16 Championship and 2021 U19 World Championship, and was named Best 3-Point Shooter in the Spanish Top Division in 2020-21.
As for the first-round pick deal, Soares ended up as one of three straight selections made by or sent to Dallas, who used the No. 3 overall pick they got from Atlanta in January to select Villanova’s Maddie Siegrist, and then used the No. 5 selection they got from Chicago in February to take UConn’s Lou Lopez-Senechal.
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