2024 WNBA Draft: Final projected landing spots for Kamilla Cardoso

Chapel Fowler

It’s WNBA Draft time for South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso.

The Gamecocks’ All-American center wrapped up her college career with a second national championship two Sundays ago in Cleveland and will be in New York City for the 2024 WNBA Draft on Monday night (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

Cardoso, named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2024 Final Four, was one of 15 players invited to attend Monday’s draft in person at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and is widely expected to be a high first round pick. But which WNBA team will select her?

Heading into Monday night, here’s a roundup of where various WNBA mock drafts have Cardoso landing, plus some South Carolina draft history.

ESPN: No. 3 to Chicago Sky

ESPN had Cardoso, a 6-foot-7 center and native of Brazil, at No. 4 overall heading into the last weekend of the tournament. But after Cardoso went off for 22 points on 10-12 shooting and 11 rebounds in the Final Four vs. NC State and racked up 15 points and a game-high 17 rebounds against Iowa in the national title game, she earned a one-spot jump.

“We saw how effective she can be when she gets the ball in scoring position and how much she can control the boards,” ESPN’s Michael Voepel wrote. “This is going to be a challenging season of change and new faces in Chicago, so the Sky would need patience with Cardoso, just like with the rest of the team.”

Last updated April 10

Bleacher Report: No. 4 to LA Sparks

The Sparks hold the No. 2 and No. 4 picks in Monday’s draft after placing second in December’s WNBA Draft lottery and acquiring the No. 4 pick via trade with the Seattle Storm. BR’s Joseph Zucker sees the Sparks drafting a new frontcourt in former Stanford center Cameron Brink at No. 2 and Cardoso at No. 4.

“The WNBA is catching up to the NBA in terms of how traditional centers are viewed and utilized,” Zucker wrote. “Conventional bigs nonetheless still have their uses, especially when they’re as good at protecting the paint as Cardoso is.”

Last updated April 14

South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso (10) shoots as NC State’s River Baldwin (1) defends during the Final Four game at Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday April 5, 2024.
South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso (10) shoots as NC State’s River Baldwin (1) defends during the Final Four game at Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio on Friday April 5, 2024.

The Athletic: No. 4 to LA Sparks

The Athletic also has Cardoso going at No. 4 behind Iowa guard Caitlin Clark (the consensus top prospect), Brink and Tennessee forward Rickea Jackson, writing that the Gamecocks center has “barely scratched the surface of her individual offense” after leading USC with 14.4 points and 9.7 rebound per game.

“The defensive three-second rule will affect how Cardoso positions herself on defense, and she’ll have to improve her conditioning,” the website’s Sabreena Merchant wrote. “But seeing how much Cardoso improved even throughout her senior season bodes well for how much she can develop in the WNBA.”

Last updated April 10

CBS Sports: No. 3 to Chicago Sky

CBS also bumped up Cardoso at spot, from No. 4 to No. 3, after a dominant NCAA Tournament showing in which she averaged 16.6 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 63.8% from the field in five games. Her consistency, according to the website, gives her an edge over Tennessee’s Jackson.

“Even at the professional level, there won’t be many players with the size to match (Cardoso), and she has the potential to be a foundational player on the defensive side of the ball,” Jack Maloney wrote. “Perhaps most importantly, she may also be a safer pick than Jackson as the Sky start a rebuild.”

The South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team head coach Dawn Staley receives a hero’s welcome at Colonial Life Arena after winning the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball championship on Monday, April 8, 2024.
The South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team head coach Dawn Staley receives a hero’s welcome at Colonial Life Arena after winning the 2024 NCAA women’s basketball championship on Monday, April 8, 2024.

South Carolina WBB draft history

Last year, USC became one of only three programs to have five players selected in a single draft as forward Aliyah Boston (first round, No. 1 overall), forward Laeticia Amihere (first round), guard Zia Cooke (first round), forward Brea Beal (second round) and forward Victaria Saxton (third round) were all picked.

Coach Dawn Staley’s talent development was on full display, as only two other teams have produced five picks in a single WNBA Draft (Notre Dame in 2019 and Tennessee in 2008 and 1999).

South Carolina has produced 18 all-time WNBA Draft picks and 14 in the Staley era (since 2008). The Gamecocks have 12 all-time first round selections (10 under Staley) and have had at least one player selected in seven of the last nine WNBA Drafts.

Boston (No. 1 to the Indiana Fever in 2023) and forward A’ja Wilson (No. 1 to the Las Vegas Aces in 2017) are South Carolina’s highest ever selections. Behind those two, USC’s highest selections are forward Alaina Coates No. 2 overall to the Sky in 2017 and forward Allisha Gray No. 4 to the Dallas Wings in 2017.

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