The Dallas Wings just finished a miserable 10-win season, but the next season might be a complete turnaround.
For the second year in a row, the Wings secured the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft.
However, it’s a massive break for a team that is trying to rebuild, effectively giving them a chance to skip the long ‘development’ phase and jump straight into being competitive.
Dallas Wings Could Have A Change Of Fate With 2026 WNBA Draft No. 1 Pick
With 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers already on the roster, adding another top-tier talent changes the math immediately.
The Wings now have the pieces to build a legitimate core, and the rest of the league is taking notice.
Recently, national analysts have been looking at Dallas differently. CBS Sports’ Jack Maloney noted that this pick could be the actual turning point for the franchise.
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THE DALLAS WINGS WILL HAVE THE NO. 1 PICK IN THE 2026 WNBA DRAFT‼️ pic.twitter.com/rMV2PCPq6p
— ESPN (@espn) November 23, 2025
The Wings have had talent for years, but the pieces haven’t always fit together. Adding a consensus No. 1 player to a group that already has Bueckers allows them to address specific holes.
It also gives new head coach Jose Fernandez a perfect start. Fernandez, who’s known for winning at the collegiate level with USF, walks into a situation where he can mold the roster to his system immediately.
Instead of trying to squeeze wins out of a mismatched roster, he gets to pair a franchise cornerstone with another elite rookie.
Azzi Fudd Has Many Reasons To Be Dallas Wings’ No. 1 Overall Pick
Naturally, the conversation starts with Azzi Fudd. The connection is obvious, as Fudd and Bueckers were close teammates at UConn, and that chemistry is hard to replicate.
But ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike argues this is about more than just friendship. She recently urged the Wings to shoot their shot with Fudd because she fixes their biggest basketball problem, which is floor spacing.
The Wings struggled mightily from three-point range last season. Defenses often collapsed on Bueckers because they didn’t respect the shooters around her.
Fudd is arguably the best pure shooter in the draft class. Putting her on the wing opens up the floor for everyone else.