Prior to the start of the 2025 WNBA season, one of the more intriguing teams to follow was the Dallas Wings. Dallas underwent plenty of change both on the court and in its front office during the offseason.
The Wings lost Satou Sabally to the Phoenix Mercury and Natasha Howard to the Indiana Fever. Along with the two player departures, it saw Amber Cox move to a front office role in Indiana along with Chris Koclanes replacing Latricia Trammell as the Wings’ head coach.
And, of course, we know what Dallas did at this year’s WNBA Draft when it selected UConn’s Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick.
Two seasons ago, the Wings not only were contenders, Dallas was one of the last four teams standing. The Wings were in a semifinals series with the Las Vegas Aces only to see A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray dispatch Dallas in four games en route to a repeat effort as champions.
Last season was a step backwards, but there was optimism that the combination of Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale could be what Dallas needed to slowly, but surely, re-enter the contenders’ conversation.
Instead, the Wings are currently 1-9 this season – last in the WNBA. When a fully established WNBA franchise is having less success than an expansion franchise in the Golden State Valkyries, that is when one knows that there is a problem. Dallas only victory so far this season occurred against another team seemingly in a rebuild – the Connecticut Sun. The Wings defeated the Sun in a 109-87 decision on the road in late May.
Fittingly enough, Bueckers was the leading scorer in her return to the state of Connecticut. She played 35 minutes, scored 21 points, dished out seven assists, grabbed five rebounds, collected two steals and also had one block. She and Ogunbowale were, appropriately, the leading scorers in that matchup. Ogunbowale added 19 points, six steals, four assists and three rebounds.
DiJonai Carrington added 16 points with three rebounds and one block. Maddy Siegrist also chimed in with 12 points plus three rebounds. Kaila Charles concluded her game with 10 points and four rebounds. Another rookie – Aziaha James – contributed nine points to the Wings’ cause. If one were to ask many a WNBA pundit what the main issue with Dallas is, many may point to the concept of Dallas not having an “identity.”
But the woes of the Wings over the years has gone to the front office’s inability to keep star players in the Lone Star State. Sabally and Howard departing from the Metroplex for greener pastures is something Dallas has become accustomed to over the years.
Skylar Diggins left the Wings some years ago as did Liz Cambage.
In fact, the news has been bad away from the court as well. The Wings were set to a move into downtown Dallas and out of Arlington following this year. Now, that move is being delayed until prior to the 2027 season.
With games or with arenas, the 2025 season has looked less than memorable for the Wings with roughly a quarter of said season having been played. Dallas basketball fans already suffered through enough heartbreak when their Mavericks traded their beloved Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers. The last thing Metroplex sports fans need is Bueckers still encountering injury woes ala a good portion of her UConn career.
Also – it is far from a foregone conclusion that one should simply engrave Bueckers’ name on this year’s Rookie of the Year trophy. A pair of Washington Mystics in Kiki Iriafen and Sonia Citron have more than earned their fair share via a berth. Bueckers’ own injury issues have not helped.
Then there is the additionally vexing question of what could happen after the season when Ogunbowale is a free agent. The way the first few frames of this season has unfolded may not exactly be good for Dallas’ chances of keeping Ogunbowale past this season but only time will tell on that front.
But that is what typically happens with teams that have a hard time retaining marquee players the way the Wings have. The year 2023 should have been a positive wake up call for Wings brass that could show Dallas what happens when you keep star players.
Instead, a scenario where Ogunbowale departs from the Wings and decides to leave Texas for…say….the Chicago Sky (near her native Milwaukee and alma mater Notre Dame) is appearing more likely. If that happens, Dallas’ may have to look at itself very honestly in the mirror.
Because as great as Bueckers can develop herself to be at the WNBA level, she cannot be the Wings’ only long-term Lone Star.
