Washington Mystics set their new course with three first-round draft picks

“For three years, I was the one that guarded her,” Citron told Washington-area reporters by phone on Monday, recalling how she chased Amoore through countless screens before Amoore transferred to Kentucky for the 2024-25 season. “… [It was] just terrible. She was getting me exhausted.”

“I always complimented her on how great her defense was and how stone-cold killer she was,” Amoore told reporters on Monday. “She had that attitude where no matter how many times I tried to shake her … she kept coming back, almost like, ‘I dare you to again.’ So her mentality is great, and I’m a massive fan of her game.”

Citron and Amoore had reason to reminisce about competing against each other because both of them, along with USC forward Kiki Iriafen, were selected by the Washington Mystics in the first round of the 2025 WNBA Draft. Citron went third overall, Iriafen fourth and Amoore sixth on Monday night. The Mystics also had two picks in subsequent rounds, selecting Iowa guard Lucy Olsen at No. 23 and Alabama guard Zaay Green at No. 32.

The Next, a 24/7/365 women’s basketball newsroom

The Next: A basketball newsroom brought to you by The IX. 24/7/365 women’s basketball coverage, written, edited and photographed by our young, diverse staff and dedicated to breaking news, analysis, historical deep dives and projections about the game we love.

It was only the third time in WNBA history that one team had three top-six picks in a single draft, according to Mystics PR. It was the first time the Mystics had ever had that — and the first time since 2002 that they had two lottery picks in the same draft.

“It’s months of preparation that come down to, I think, probably about 14 minutes on the clock,” first-year general manager Jamila Wideman told reporters after the draft about making three picks in such quick succession. “… So it’s a fantastic energy. It’s game-night jitters, and then [it’s like] getting out on the court and making decisions.”

Before the draft, there was speculation that the Mystics might trade one or more of their first-round picks. The Mystics kept their options open throughout the offseason, Wideman said, but they ended up retaining all three picks to jumpstart their rebuild.

Their goal on Monday was to improve the roster in both the short term and the long term, Wideman said. The Mystics targeted players who are competitive, bring energy, have high basketball IQs and are comfortable playing fast. That matches the identity the Mystics want to have under first-year head coach Sydney Johnson. Iriafen told reporters after the draft that Johnson wants to score within the first eight seconds of the shot clock this season.

With their first pick of the night, the Mystics selected Citron — the first guard they’ve drafted in the first round since 2019. Citron was the third-leading scorer for a Notre Dame team that scored the sixth-most points per game in Division I last season. She averaged 14.1 points per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 37.2% from 3-point range, and she was named first-team All-ACC.

But Citron is much more than a scorer, which is what elevated her to the No. 3 overall pick. As Wideman put it, “Sonia Citron just does everything and is happy to do everything.” Last season, she also averaged 5.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

The Next’s WNBA Draft experts project Citron’s ceiling as similar to former Mystic and two-time WNBA All-Defensive Team selection Alysha Clark. ESPN’s Rebecca Lobo compared Citron during the draft broadcast to Chicago Sky wing Rebecca Allen, who has ranked in the top 10 leaguewide in total blocks, total steals and 3-point percentage in different seasons of her career.

“I pride myself on being able to play both sides of the ball, and I think that definitely translates [to the WNBA],” Citron told reporters at the draft after being selected. “… And just my mentality. I think I’m a very dependable, steady person and I’m going to put the work in every day.”

Just a few minutes after selecting Citron, the Mystics drafted Iriafen, who was a consensus All-American this season. The 6’3 forward averaged 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 30.3 minutes per game for a USC team that made the Elite Eight. She is effective offensively both in the post and in the midrange, and she can defend wings as well as power forwards, according to The Next’s draft experts.

Iriafen told Washington-area reporters after the draft that she plans to sprint the floor in transition and be versatile defensively. When the Mystics were deciding who to pick, they noted how she improved on defense last season, and Iriafen said Johnson emphasized that part of her game in their first phone call after the draft.

“I’m excited to be a part of what the Mystics are building,” Iriafen said. “What an opportunity to come in and kind of help shape the culture that we want to go to and the direction that we want to go to. So I feel like there’s so much right there in terms of just being one of the first few to help us get to this vision that our GM and our coach [have] for us.”

Amoore — another player who can run the floor with anyone — was the last of the Mystics’ first-round picks. She led Virginia Tech to the Final Four in 2023 and became a consensus All-American at both Virginia Tech and Kentucky. Last season for the Wildcats, she averaged 19.6 points, an SEC-leading 6.9 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals in 36.7 minutes per game.

“My [in-game] evaluation and my ability to connect some teammates together, that’s something I take really big pride in,” Amoore said. “… I study the game of basketball. I love the intricacies. And I just, it’s always been kind of a superpower or the way that I’ve been able to compete.”

The Next’s draft experts gauge prospects’ potential by estimating their median outcome — between their floor and their ceiling. All three first-round picks have median outcomes of at least contributors to a WNBA championship-caliber team, and Citron’s median outcome is highest, as the fifth starter on a title team or an above-average starter leaguewide.

Citron and Amoore slot into a Mystics backcourt that has several holes to fill — to the point that the projected starting lineup the ESPN broadcast showed before the Mystics made any picks left two guard spots blank. Entering the draft, the Mystics had just three guards on the roster: Brittney Sykes, Jade Melbourne and Sug Sutton. Sykes played plenty of point guard last season after playing on the wing for much of her career, but now between Melbourne, Amoore and Sutton, Sykes can likely move off the ball again.

The frontcourt is more crowded for Iriafen, with Shakira Austin, Aaliyah Edwards, Stefanie Dolson, Emily Engstler and Sika Koné all returning. The Mystics drafted Austin third overall in 2022 and Edwards sixth in 2024, and Dolson is the team’s most experienced player.

“I think they all are just very aggressive,” Iriafen said when asked about Austin, Edwards and Dolson. “They play with so much intensity and just are relentless when they play. So I feel like that’s something that I’m going to add to. … Going against great players that are in my similar position will only make me better.”

Want even more women’s sports in your inbox?

Subscribe now to our sister publication The IX and receive our independent women’s sports newsletter six days a week. Learn more about your favorite athletes and teams around the world competing in soccer, tennis, basketball, golf, hockey and gymnastics from our incredible team of writers.

Readers of The Next now save 50% on their subscription to The IX.

Olsen and Green should also have a real opportunity to make the Mystics’ opening-day roster, even though second- and third-round picks have historically faced long odds. Each of them blended scoring and facilitating at a high level this season for NCAA Tournament teams: Olsen averaged 17.9 points and 5.1 assists per game, while Green averaged 15.7 points and 4.5 assists.

The Mystics currently have just 13 players rostered for training camp, including all five draft picks, and they’ll be able to have 12 on their opening-day roster. They could still add players before camp opens on April 27 or before rosters must be finalized on May 15. But relatively few cuts will need to be made, and many roster spots are up for grabs rather than guaranteed to specific players. The Mystics have eight players who have two or fewer years of WNBA experience, compared with just two (Dolson and Sykes) who have four or more.

Tune in to Locked On Women’s Basketball

Here at The Next, in addition to the 24/7/365 written content our staff provides, we also host the daily Locked On Women’s Basketball podcast. Join us Monday through Saturday each week as we discuss all things WNBA, collegiate basketball, basketball history and much more. Listen wherever you find podcasts or watch on YouTube.

Listen now!

The path for Olsen and Green to stick had widened just a few hours before the draft, when the Mystics traded guard Karlie Samuelson to the Minnesota Lynx for the Lynx’s 2026 first-round draft pick. The 29-year-old Samuelson signed a two-year contract with Washington before the 2024 season and started all 29 games she played in last season, averaging 8.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 24.5 minutes per game.

In the short term, Washington loses Samuelson’s 3-point shooting, leadership and defense on the wing. But the trade makes sense for where Washington is as a franchise: looking to rebuild around young players and through the draft.

“The trade really just represents another move that’s an investment in our future and an investment in bringing in young players to develop,” Wideman said.

The Mystics now have two first-round picks and five total picks in the 2026 draft. They also have one first-round pick and four total in the 2027 draft.

Those picks and the ones the Mystics made on Monday night are plenty to build a franchise around, particularly when paired with the right veteran leadership. Now the question is how quickly the Mystics can develop their young talent — and whether they can build on the foundation they set on Monday in the seasons to come.

Order ‘Rare Gems’ and save 30%

Howard Megdal, founder and editor of The Next and The IX, released his latest book on May 7, 2024. This deeply reported story follows four connected generations of women’s basketball pioneers, from Elvera “Peps” Neuman to Cheryl Reeve and from Lindsay Whalen to Sylvia Fowles and Paige Bueckers.

If you enjoy his coverage of women’s basketball every Wednesday at The IX, you will love “Rare Gems: How Four Generations of Women Paved the Way for the WNBA.” Click the link below to order and enter MEGDAL30 at checkout.

Read more of our coverage of all 13 teams in the 2025 WNBA Draft.