The Washington Mystics have the youngest roster in the WNBA. Two of their best three players are sophomores with guard Sonia Citron and forward Kiki Iriafen. Center Shakira Austin is more or less Washington’s veteran leader (and she’s just a fifth year player). Most of the rest of Washington’s roster is made up of rookies, with the exception of Michaela Onyenwere.
The Mystics over the next few years will have to determine who stays long term, even among their four draft picks in the 2026 draft class who include Lauren Betts and Angela Dugalic. But it’s possible that Monumental Basketball President Michael Winger and Head Coach Sydney Johnson could have another trick up their sleeves. That’s the draft rights to Nastja Claessens, who was Washington’s third round pick in 2024 when Mike Thibault was the General Manager.
What has Claessens been up to since 2024?
We haven’t really focused on her because the Mystics, through two front offices, have decided to draft-and-stash her. She was part of Belgium’s 2024 Olympic team, their 2025 Women’s EuroBasket championship team with Thibault now coaching the Belgian Cats. But, maybe most importantly, at least for us as Mystics fans, Claessens is also a college basketball player at Kansas State since the 2025-26 season.
Then-SB Nation reporter Mitchell Northam (who also contributed to Bullets Forever back in the day) wrote an analysis in July 2025 about why a player who played professionally AND is a WNBA draft pick, can still play college basketball, and why Washington still holds her draft rights.
Here is a TL:dr version of Northam’s piece:
Claessens was drafted as an international prospect. She never reported to the Mystics which preserved her NCAA eligibility if she decided to play college basketball.
Claessens chose to play college basketball in 2025, going to Kansas State, who play in the Big 12 Conference.
The Mystics hold her draft rights, no matter how good she is at the NCAA level. They will hold Claessen’s rights until 2030, assuming she plays four years at K-State. Washington is required to give her a tender within seven days of the 2029 WNBA Draft (again, assuming she plays there for four years). This year would be earlier if Claessens decides to declare earlier.
Northam wrote this piece before the new Collective Bargaining Agreement in 2026. So did anything change? Not really. Article XIII, Section 7 of the current CBA (p. 158) addresses someone in Claessens’ situation.
Now, how well did Claessens perform last season? She had a solid year for the Wildcats, starting in 33 of 34 games, averaging 11.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. K-State went 19-18, losing in the second round of the WBIT (the women’s equivalent of the NIT).
Admittedly, Kansas State’s 2025-26 season was a down year compared to their 2024-25 campaign when the Wildcats made the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, but there was a large amount of turnover. That said, Claessens and most of K State’s starters will return for 2026-27. It should be noted that Claessens was listed as a junior in 2025-26 though it was her first college season, presumably because of academic credits that transferred from Europe.
Finally, Let’s get to some of the final questions about Claessens, and her WNBA future. Let’s say Claessens becomes an All-American player and the Wildcats make a deep NCAA Tournament whether next year, in 2028 or 2029. Even if that happens, the Mystics hold Claessens’ WNBA rights. So her representation can only negotiate with Winger and the Mystics front office.
Now, is it possible that Claessens could be traded? Yes. After all, the Mystics of 2026 don’t have much resemblance of the Mystics of the Thibault Era from 2013-24, Austin aside. It’s possible that the Mystics could trade Claessens’ rights, even before her eligibility expires. That said, I don’t see that happening while her college career plays out.
Should we as Mystics fans monitor Claessens over the next year (or three)? Yes. The Wildcats have a consistent women’s basketball program, and Claessens brings senior international experience that none of her American teammates have. If they make a deep NCAA Tournament run or more in the next three years with Claessens as a major contributor toward that success, she could be Washington’s next low risk, high reward signing, in part thanks to a draft decision made two years ago.
Let us know your thoughts sin the comments below.