The 2026 WNBA season finishes Thursday night, and while playoff seeding is still being sorted out for most of the league, the real drama for us in the Emerald City is how the ultimate tank game between the Toronto Tempo and Connecticut Sun is going to affect our Seattle Storm’s future. It’s a showdown between two of the league’s worst teams, and it could decide the next half-decade of WNBA basketball, all while our girls are left watching.
The Ultimate Tank Bowl for the Future
Thursday night, the Toronto Tempo visits the Connecticut Sun in what has been dubbed an “ultimate tanking game.” These are two teams with a combined record of 21-65 heading into the final buzzer, playing for something far more important than a win: draft odds. This is also a huge night for Connecticut, as it’s the Sun’s final game in their home state before the franchise relocates to Houston for the 2027 season, rebranding as the Comets.
Why is this game so huge? If Connecticut wins, the Sun will actually tie the Tempo for the first- and second-best draft odds. That means both teams get the same number of lottery balls ahead of the next draft lottery. As Hunter Cruse put it on X, “The biggest WNBA game tomorrow? Toronto vs. Connecticut in the ultimate tank bowl. If CON wins, they will tie for the No. 1 & No. 2 draft odds, giving both teams equal lottery balls.” A Tempo loss on Thursday means both teams would finish with identical 11-33 records, ensuring they have the same shot at the top overall pick in April.
Why Our Storm Are Getting Screwed
Here’s where it really hits home for us Seattle fans. Our Seattle Storm finished a dismal 8-35. That’s the worst record in the entire WNBA, plain and simple. You’d think that would give us the best shot at a game-changing talent in the draft, right? Nope. Neither the Sun nor the Tempo can “catch” our Storm in the league’s basement standings, but thanks to some funky rules, our odds are still terrible.
The WNBA lottery takes into account a team’s *two-year* performance when deciding lottery odds. And because the Storm were actually a playoff team in both 2024 and 2025, despite our truly awful 2026 season, we only have around a 10 percent chance to win the top overall pick. So while these other teams are actively tanking, losing games on purpose to boost their odds, our genuinely struggling Storm team gets penalized for past successes. It’s a gut punch, to be honest.
The Stakes: A Stacked 2027 Draft
Why do these draft odds matter so much? The 2027 class is absolutely stacked with elite prospects. We’re talking about names like Madison Booker, Hannah Hidalgo, and JuJu Watkins. These are the kinds of players who can completely turn a franchise around, and any team getting one of them is set for years. For Connecticut, this game could dictate how quickly the new Comets start winning in Houston. For our Storm, it means we might miss out on a generational talent despite having the worst record in the league.
So, what’s next for our Storm? We’re left waiting for the draft lottery, hoping that 10 percent chance defies the odds. Our girls need to reload, and getting a top pick would be huge for the future of basketball in the Emerald City.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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