The WNBA has finally granted a favorable CBA deal for its players. And that means the free agency and the expansion draft will follow shortly. Now then, with two new franchises in Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo coming in, there is a large number of players in the expansion draft.
With the expansion draft scheduled for April 13, 2026, franchises have started to plan ahead about how they would go ahead with the draft. However, there are a few teams that might get themselves in a spot of bother. And one such team is the Dallas Wings. Trying to rebuild this season, the Wings might fail to retain Arike Ogunbowale.
Why Is Arike Ogunbowale’s Place In Dallas Wings In Danger?
The Dallas Wings had a disastrous season last year. They finished last despite Paige Bueckers clinching the Rookie of the Year award. Of the very few names that performed well last season, Ogunbowale was definitely one of them. However, with the likes of Fire and Tempo coming in, the situation will be changing rapidly.
Both teams are entitled to choose from the pool of players who donned different jerseys till now. For the Wings, Bueckers, Maddy Siegrist, Diamond Miller, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly are all under contract. But three big names- Ogunbowale, Tyasha Harris, and Myisha Hines-Allen are unrestricted free agents at the moment.
Arike Ogunbowale headed to a new team?https://t.co/jGvha7wlWo
— Debmallya Chakraborty (@DebmallyaC93340) April 2, 2026
According to the presumptions, the top priority for the front office is Bueckers. She will be the one revolving around whom the rest of the team will be made. Next up, Siegrist, too, can be a name that the Wings would protect. Averaging 12.7 points and 4.3 rebounds last year, the probability of retaining her looks strong. That leaves the fate of Ogunbowale in doubt.
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However, despite all the doubts, Jose Fernandez has set a strong goal for the team this season.
Jose Fernandez Wants Dallas Wings To Win In 2026
Coming in as the new coach, Fernandez was pretty straightforward. He wants to win. And that might be why Ogunbowale might come as part of a difficult decision the team has to make. Focusing on building a fantastic roster, the new Wings’ head coach stated that playing in the playoffs was not a distant dream.
“We can put a really good roster together around the current players that we have, there should be no reason why we’re not a playoff contender,” Fernandez stated.
He also added, “I wouldn’t have taken this job if I didn’t think I could be a great change to the organization. They’re going to play with great passion. There’s not going to ever be a reason for anyone to think they didn’t play hard. My expectation in taking this job is to win a championship.”
Now that things look complicated, only the future will tell what comes next.