UK’s Lawrence isn’t projected to be drafted. She could still make a WNBA roster
Kentucky’s Dazia Lawrence is not projected to be selected in Monday’s WNBA draft, but she did have a strong showing in her final season of college basketball, and at the Women’s College All-Star Game in Tampa, Florida, during Final Four weekend.
The graduate guard, who opted to finish her college career with the Wildcats after four seasons with Charlotte, was instrumental in the Wildcats’ first-year turnaround under coach Kenny Brooks this season. Lawrence, the team’s starting shooting guard, served as a necessary leader and veteran voice alongside projected first-round WNBA draft pick Georgia Amoore. Together, the beloved backcourt duo helped guide the Wildcats to their highest win total since the 2018-19 season, a fourth-place finish in the Southeastern Conference and hosting privileges in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, during which UK reached the second round before falling to Kansas State in overtime.
Lawrence, who is “definitely looking to continue my basketball career,” was one of 20 athletes to participate in the Women’s College All-Star Game and Combine, which brought together top seniors voted on by former coaches and national media members from across Division I women’s basketball.
The event “invites the sport’s brightest stars, who will be exhausting or foregoing their remaining eligibility and are on the precipice of hearing their names called in the WNBA draft, to have one final opportunity to represent their programs and be recognized against the backdrop of the sport’s championship weekend.”
In addition to Lawrence, who dished the winning assist for Team Miller (coached by Hall of Famer Cheryl Miller) fellow SEC athletes DeYona Gaston (Auburn), Zaay Green (Alabama), Izzy Higginbottom (Arkansas), Jerkaila Jordan (Mississippi State), Madison Scott (Ole Miss) and Jewel Spear (Tennessee), plus All-America selections Lucy Olsen (Iowa), Makayla Timpson (Florida State) and Harmoni Turner (Harvard), among others, were also chosen to participate.
Team Miller defeated Team Lieberman (coached by Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman) 71-59. Lawrence scored nine points on 4-of-12 shooting, including 1-of-4 from 3-point range, and recorded four rebounds, three assists, one block and one turnover in approximately 19 minutes.
For athletes hoping to land in the WNBA but not selected in the draft, the opportunity for a training camp invitation may arise. Regardless of a particular franchise’s draft class, or returning pros, all players at training camp are, essentially, competing for a roster spot.
When it comes to making a roster, the WNBA is the most competitive American professional sports league. Each of the 13 franchises have just 12 roster spots, meaning there are only a maximum of 156 spots available. Franchises typically opt to offer invitations to intriguing prospects whose rights were not won in the draft.
As many have said before, when it comes to making an opening-day roster in the WNBA, it’s less about when a hopeful is drafted, and more about where. Take Charli Collier, for example, who was selected first overall in the 2021 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings out of the University of Texas. Collier never quite met the high expectations set out for her, and was eventually waived by the Wings ahead of the 2023 season.
Former Iowa guard Kate Martin, who was selected in the second round (18th overall) by the Las Vegas Aces and managed to not only make the team’s opening-day roster but remain on it for the entirety of her rookie season, is now receiving new opportunity with the league’s newest franchise, the Golden State Valkyries.
Erica Wheeler went undrafted in 2013 after a successful career at Rutgers but, after some time spent playing professionally overseas, turned an opportunity as a free agent into a roster spot with the Atlanta Dream in 2015 and, per the WNBA, became the first undrafted player to be named MVP of the All-Star Game in 2019.
Curt Miller, executive vice president and general manager of the Wings, spoke to the benefits of having a combine-type event ahead of the draft during a pre-draft media availability Thursday, and noted that “it was well-represented by numerous players that will hear their names on Monday night.”
“I personally love the fact that we could look at data,” Miller said. “You know, simple heights, their reach and their wingspan and their hand size. A lot of metrics that we don’t always get or have to ask specifically to athletic trainers of individual teams. So I think that information is all very, very valuable.
“As GMs across our league, we know we’re all in an eyes-, ears-, numbers-mindset, and our eyes tell us what we see, them playing, the numbers and the deep dives of analytics are just expanding for our league. And then, you know, it’s the ear. So the more and more data, the more and more opportunity that we have with these players is a benefit to all of our franchises. So we appreciate that it continues to grow, and I personally hope that it continues to be an evolving, developing part of our game going into drafts.”
The Dazia Lawrence file
Women’s College All-Star Combine measurables
Height (in shoes): 5-foot-8
Reach: 7 feet, 5.5 inches
Wing span: 5-10
Hand length: 7.5 inches
Hand width: 8.5 inches
▪ 2020-21: 9.0 minutes, 2.2 points (28.6% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 100% FT), 1.2 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.4 steals, 1.0 turnovers in 5 games/0 starts.
▪ 2021-22: 9.8 minutes, 3.0 points (40.6% FG, 46.2% 3PT, 61.9% FT), 1.4 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.5 steals, 0.1 blocks, 1.0 turnovers in 24 games/0 starts.
▪ 2022-23: 33.1 minutes, 16.9 points (43.9% FG, 36.0% 3PT, 81.7% FT), 3.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.3 blocks, 3.0 in 31 games/30 starts.
▪ 2023-24: 33.0 minutes, 18.2 points (42.6% FG, 31.3% 3PT, 80.0% FT), 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.1 blocks, 3.0 turnovers in 31 games/31 starts.
▪ 2024-25: 33.3 minutes, 12.9 points (46.2% FG, 39.0% 3PT, 75.9% FT), 2.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks, 1.5 turnovers across 31 games played/31 starts.
2025 WNBA Draft
When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
Where: The Shed in New York City
TV: ESPN
First-round draft order: Dallas, Seattle, Washington, Washington, Golden State, Washington, Connecticut, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minnesota, Dallas.
Format: Three rounds (38 total picks)
This story was originally published April 11, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
