The Minnesota Lynx will have the third overall selection in the 2012 WNBA Draft. The defending champions found out their fate on Thursday during the league's annual lottery.
The Lynx had actually won the last two lotteries, but their luck wasn't quite as good this year -- unless one factors in the fact that the defending champs were only involved in the lottery in the first place because of a trade prior to last year's draft.
The Minnesota Lynx have won the WNBA Draft Lottery in two consecutive seasons (they traded the pick in 2010 to acquire Lindsay Whalen and drafted Maya Moore in 2011) and own the Washington Mystics' 1st round pick in this year's draft, which gives them a 27.6% chance to win the overall #1 pick for 2012. They acquired the pick after trading forward Nicky Anosike to the Mystics two days before the 2011 draft.
Unfortunately it wasn't to be, however, as they actually dropped a spot in the lottery and will select third -- instead of the projected second -- in next April's draft.