Posted at 8:07 a.m., Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Harding picked No. 1 in WNBA draft, then traded
By Joe Milicia
Associated Press
Shortly after selecting Harding with the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft today, the Mercury traded her to Minnesota for veteran Tangela Smith.
The dealing wasn't over as minutes later, San Antonio sent No. 2 pick Jessica Davenport to New York for guard Becky Hammon and a second round pick.
An ACC player of the year and two-time ACC defensive player of the year, Harding averaged 13.8 points and 4.0 rebounds for Duke last season. Her two misses from the foul line with 0.1 seconds remaining allowed Rutgers to upset the top-seeded Blue Devils 53-52 in the regional semifinals of the NCAA tournament.
The Mercury became the first team in the 11-year history of the draft to get the top pick with the smallest odds of winning. They had just 25 chances out of 1,000 to get the No. 1 selection.
Chicago picked Armintie Price of Mississippi at No. 3; Noelle Quinn of UCLA went fourth to Minnesota; and Tiffany Jackson went fifth to New York.
