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[Editor's note: This article is from Athlon Sports' 2025 WNBA Preview print magazine. Order your copy today online, or pick one up at retail racks and newsstands nationwide.]
After finishing 9-31 in 2024, the Dallas Wings decided it was time to revamp the front office. First, they brought in veteran coach Curt Miller as general manager. Miller most recently coached the Los Angeles Sparks and was head coach and general manager for the Connecticut Sun (2016-22) before that, earning WNBA Executive of the Year honors in 2017. The Wings also plucked USC assistant Chris Koclanes to take the helm as head coach.
That duo, and the rest of the coaching staff they’ve assembled, got right to work building a roster of their own with a host of new players set to join the Wings, including No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers out of UConn. Their other key acquisitions came from a huge four-team trade among Connecticut, Phoenix, Indiana and Dallas, which resulted in the Wings receiving DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris and NaLyssa Smith along with future draft picks. They also received the reserved rights to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan in that trade and signed veteran forward Myisha Hines-Allen in free agency.
More WNBA team previews:
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Those players will work to find their spot in the lineup alongside Arike Ogunbowale, the team’s leading scorer, and Teaira McCowan, the team’s leading rebounder.
Paige Bueckers poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Wings in the WNBA Draft in New York on April 14, 2025.Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Veteran center McCowan started nearly every game in 2024, adding some much-needed consistency in the post after injuries to Satou Sabally and Maddy Siegrist. McCowan was also one of the team’s most efficient scorers, shooting 57% from the field. Look for her to anchor the Wings in the paint as Smith, Hines-Allen and Siegrist fill in around her.
At 6-foot-4, Smith adds size and toughness to the paint; she’s averaging 13 points and eight rebounds per game in her first three WNBA seasons. All three of those seasons were in Indiana, where she started nearly every game she played for the Fever. For the past two seasons, she played alongside 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston and then 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark. That experience should translate well to Dallas, where she will play with another top pick in Bueckers and offer balance down low for another talented set of guards.
At 29, Hines-Allen is the one of the team’s most seasoned players and brings championship experience from the Washington Mystics’ 2019 title run. She started her 2024 season in Washington — her home since she was drafted in 2018 — but was traded in August to the Minnesota Lynx. Her career has ebbed and flowed significantly, and it will be interesting to see how she adjusts to another new team and system, but she seems primed for a spot in the starting lineup with this relatively small rotation.
Siegrist was a consistent starter at the beginning of last season but missed time with a broken finger that required surgery in June. Before the injury, she started 11 of 13 games and averaged 14.6 points across 33.6 minutes per game. She returned after the Olympic break but played limited minutes until mid-September, when she seemed to find her rhythm again. If she stays healthy, she could become an important building block for this young franchise.
Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale reacts during her team's game against the Indiana Fever at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, on July 17, 2024.Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Ogunbowale is the clear leader in this backcourt. Primarily playing the point, Ogunbowale has become one of the faces of the league, consistently landing in the top 10 for MVP voting. One of her biggest strengths is the ability to shoot the ball from distance, knocking down 112 3-pointers last season. Treys account for about 40% of her attempts, and after only six seasons, she ranks eighth among active players in 3-pointers. She’s extremely dangerous with the ball in her hands, and with her confidence and swagger, Ogunbowale isn’t afraid to pull up from anywhere on the court. The only real concern is health, as she comes off of a rough Unrivaled run where she played just eight of 14 games for Vinyl. Having sat since early March, she should be ready to go at the start of the season.
Bueckers should add some welcome support in the backcourt as an efficient scorer and skilled passer. She exits UConn as one of the best guards in the Huskies’ storied history, averaging 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game across her career.
Carrington will be another valuable addition to the frontcourt; she can also line up at forward if Koclanes opts for a smaller lineup. Voted 2024’s Most Improved Player, Carrington seemed to really hit her stride in Connecticut last year, averaging 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game across 39 regular-season starts. She was even better in the Sun’s seven-game playoff run, improving those numbers to 13.7 and 6.1, respectively.
Carrington was used somewhat sparingly in her first three seasons with the Sun. Then, in 2024, she shifted into a starting role and blossomed, posting career highs in nearly every category. She also earned a spot on the WNBA All-Defensive first team after ranking fourth in the league in steal percentage.
Fellow former Sun Harris will likely be the third starting guard in her return to Dallas. The Wings originally drafted Harris in 2020 out of South Carolina, and she played her first three years there before being traded to Connecticut. Last year was her first as a consistent starter, and she made the most of the opportunity, scoring 10.5 points per game.
Lou Lopez Sénéchal elected to forgo the 2025 WNBA season. She appeared in 27 games for the Wings last season, and they will retain her playing rights.
DiJonai Carrington, pictured with the Connecticut Sun last season, arrives with the Wings after a blockbuster offseason trade.David Butler II / USA TODAY Sports
The Wings have nowhere to go but up, and their active offseason definitely shows the desire to do so.
Bueckers and Carrington should offer some significant support for Ogunbowale, which she didn’t always have from the other guards last year. That should multiply their scoring capability up top.
With their influx of talent, if the Wings can avoid the injury bug that struck last year — and a largely new roster goes a long way toward addressing that particular issue — then they should be in a position to battle for a playoff spot. Of course, that will take some big buy-in from a fresh locker room with a first-year WNBA coach.
Maddy Unlimited: Participating for the second consecutive season, Maddy Siegrist took Athletes Unlimited by storm this summer and was crowned champion of the five-on-five league. Siegrist averaged 24 points per game, scoring 20 or more in nine of her 12 contests. Her consistency was rewarded with three weeks as captain, allowing her to pick her own teammates from the rotating roster. Her 7,052 points, awarded through a fantasy-inspired scoring system, set a new league record, surpassing Allisha Gray’s previous mark of 6,981.
Helping Hand: The Dallas Wings are set to host the Toyota Antelopes of the Women’s Japan Basketball League for a preseason game on May 10. The game is part of a multi-year partnership between the two squads to help provide professional development and mentorship opportunities for the Antelopes staff. The Antelopes, who won back-to-back WBJL titles in 2021 and 2022, are coached by former WNBA and WJBL player Yuko Oga.
Venue Upgrade: The Wings, who typically call Arlington’s College Park Center home, will host their June 27th game against the Indiana Fever in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. With the move, the Wings boost their capacity from 7,000 to 20,000. American Airlines Center is home to the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and NHL’s Dallas Stars.
1. Paige Bueckers, G, 6-0, UConn
1. Aziaha James, G, 5-10, NC State
2. Madison Scott, G/F, 6-2, Ole Miss
3. JJ Quinerly, G, 5-8, West Virginia
3. Aaronette Vonleh, C, 6-3, Baylor
Analysis: The Wings won the Paige Bueckers lottery, selecting the UConn guard with the first overall pick. She will be an exciting addition to this squad playing alongside Arike Ogunbowale in the backcourt. The favorite for Rookie of the Year, Bueckers should have the freedom to make a big impact as a newcomer toughened by five years with Geno Auriemma. The Wings built up their guard depth, adding Aziaha James and two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year JJ Quinerly. Madison Scott is another talented defender who adds more versatility at 6-foot-2. Dallas also snagged Baylor big Aaronette Vonleh, who could play as a true center if Dallas opts for a larger lineup.
More WNBA team previews:
Aces | Dream | Fever | Liberty | Lynx | Mercury | Mystics | Sky | Sparks | Storm | Sun | Valkyries
Continue reading...
After finishing 9-31 in 2024, the Dallas Wings decided it was time to revamp the front office. First, they brought in veteran coach Curt Miller as general manager. Miller most recently coached the Los Angeles Sparks and was head coach and general manager for the Connecticut Sun (2016-22) before that, earning WNBA Executive of the Year honors in 2017. The Wings also plucked USC assistant Chris Koclanes to take the helm as head coach.
That duo, and the rest of the coaching staff they’ve assembled, got right to work building a roster of their own with a host of new players set to join the Wings, including No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers out of UConn. Their other key acquisitions came from a huge four-team trade among Connecticut, Phoenix, Indiana and Dallas, which resulted in the Wings receiving DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris and NaLyssa Smith along with future draft picks. They also received the reserved rights to Mikiah Herbert Harrigan in that trade and signed veteran forward Myisha Hines-Allen in free agency.
More WNBA team previews:
Aces | Dream | Fever | Liberty | Lynx | Mercury | Mystics | Sky | Sparks | Storm | Sun | Valkyries
Those players will work to find their spot in the lineup alongside Arike Ogunbowale, the team’s leading scorer, and Teaira McCowan, the team’s leading rebounder.
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Paige Bueckers poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick by the Dallas Wings in the WNBA Draft in New York on April 14, 2025.Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Frontcourt
Veteran center McCowan started nearly every game in 2024, adding some much-needed consistency in the post after injuries to Satou Sabally and Maddy Siegrist. McCowan was also one of the team’s most efficient scorers, shooting 57% from the field. Look for her to anchor the Wings in the paint as Smith, Hines-Allen and Siegrist fill in around her.
At 6-foot-4, Smith adds size and toughness to the paint; she’s averaging 13 points and eight rebounds per game in her first three WNBA seasons. All three of those seasons were in Indiana, where she started nearly every game she played for the Fever. For the past two seasons, she played alongside 2023 Rookie of the Year Aliyah Boston and then 2024 Rookie of the Year Caitlin Clark. That experience should translate well to Dallas, where she will play with another top pick in Bueckers and offer balance down low for another talented set of guards.
At 29, Hines-Allen is the one of the team’s most seasoned players and brings championship experience from the Washington Mystics’ 2019 title run. She started her 2024 season in Washington — her home since she was drafted in 2018 — but was traded in August to the Minnesota Lynx. Her career has ebbed and flowed significantly, and it will be interesting to see how she adjusts to another new team and system, but she seems primed for a spot in the starting lineup with this relatively small rotation.
Siegrist was a consistent starter at the beginning of last season but missed time with a broken finger that required surgery in June. Before the injury, she started 11 of 13 games and averaged 14.6 points across 33.6 minutes per game. She returned after the Olympic break but played limited minutes until mid-September, when she seemed to find her rhythm again. If she stays healthy, she could become an important building block for this young franchise.
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Dallas Wings guard Arike Ogunbowale reacts during her team's game against the Indiana Fever at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, on July 17, 2024.Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
Backcourt
Ogunbowale is the clear leader in this backcourt. Primarily playing the point, Ogunbowale has become one of the faces of the league, consistently landing in the top 10 for MVP voting. One of her biggest strengths is the ability to shoot the ball from distance, knocking down 112 3-pointers last season. Treys account for about 40% of her attempts, and after only six seasons, she ranks eighth among active players in 3-pointers. She’s extremely dangerous with the ball in her hands, and with her confidence and swagger, Ogunbowale isn’t afraid to pull up from anywhere on the court. The only real concern is health, as she comes off of a rough Unrivaled run where she played just eight of 14 games for Vinyl. Having sat since early March, she should be ready to go at the start of the season.
Bueckers should add some welcome support in the backcourt as an efficient scorer and skilled passer. She exits UConn as one of the best guards in the Huskies’ storied history, averaging 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game across her career.
Carrington will be another valuable addition to the frontcourt; she can also line up at forward if Koclanes opts for a smaller lineup. Voted 2024’s Most Improved Player, Carrington seemed to really hit her stride in Connecticut last year, averaging 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game across 39 regular-season starts. She was even better in the Sun’s seven-game playoff run, improving those numbers to 13.7 and 6.1, respectively.
Carrington was used somewhat sparingly in her first three seasons with the Sun. Then, in 2024, she shifted into a starting role and blossomed, posting career highs in nearly every category. She also earned a spot on the WNBA All-Defensive first team after ranking fourth in the league in steal percentage.
Fellow former Sun Harris will likely be the third starting guard in her return to Dallas. The Wings originally drafted Harris in 2020 out of South Carolina, and she played her first three years there before being traded to Connecticut. Last year was her first as a consistent starter, and she made the most of the opportunity, scoring 10.5 points per game.
Lou Lopez Sénéchal elected to forgo the 2025 WNBA season. She appeared in 27 games for the Wings last season, and they will retain her playing rights.
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DiJonai Carrington, pictured with the Connecticut Sun last season, arrives with the Wings after a blockbuster offseason trade.David Butler II / USA TODAY Sports
Final Analysis
The Wings have nowhere to go but up, and their active offseason definitely shows the desire to do so.
Bueckers and Carrington should offer some significant support for Ogunbowale, which she didn’t always have from the other guards last year. That should multiply their scoring capability up top.
With their influx of talent, if the Wings can avoid the injury bug that struck last year — and a largely new roster goes a long way toward addressing that particular issue — then they should be in a position to battle for a playoff spot. Of course, that will take some big buy-in from a fresh locker room with a first-year WNBA coach.
Beyond the Arc
Maddy Unlimited: Participating for the second consecutive season, Maddy Siegrist took Athletes Unlimited by storm this summer and was crowned champion of the five-on-five league. Siegrist averaged 24 points per game, scoring 20 or more in nine of her 12 contests. Her consistency was rewarded with three weeks as captain, allowing her to pick her own teammates from the rotating roster. Her 7,052 points, awarded through a fantasy-inspired scoring system, set a new league record, surpassing Allisha Gray’s previous mark of 6,981.
Helping Hand: The Dallas Wings are set to host the Toyota Antelopes of the Women’s Japan Basketball League for a preseason game on May 10. The game is part of a multi-year partnership between the two squads to help provide professional development and mentorship opportunities for the Antelopes staff. The Antelopes, who won back-to-back WBJL titles in 2021 and 2022, are coached by former WNBA and WJBL player Yuko Oga.
Venue Upgrade: The Wings, who typically call Arlington’s College Park Center home, will host their June 27th game against the Indiana Fever in Dallas at the American Airlines Center. With the move, the Wings boost their capacity from 7,000 to 20,000. American Airlines Center is home to the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and NHL’s Dallas Stars.
Draft Recap
1. Paige Bueckers, G, 6-0, UConn
1. Aziaha James, G, 5-10, NC State
2. Madison Scott, G/F, 6-2, Ole Miss
3. JJ Quinerly, G, 5-8, West Virginia
3. Aaronette Vonleh, C, 6-3, Baylor
Analysis: The Wings won the Paige Bueckers lottery, selecting the UConn guard with the first overall pick. She will be an exciting addition to this squad playing alongside Arike Ogunbowale in the backcourt. The favorite for Rookie of the Year, Bueckers should have the freedom to make a big impact as a newcomer toughened by five years with Geno Auriemma. The Wings built up their guard depth, adding Aziaha James and two-time Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year JJ Quinerly. Madison Scott is another talented defender who adds more versatility at 6-foot-2. Dallas also snagged Baylor big Aaronette Vonleh, who could play as a true center if Dallas opts for a larger lineup.
More WNBA team previews:
Aces | Dream | Fever | Liberty | Lynx | Mercury | Mystics | Sky | Sparks | Storm | Sun | Valkyries
Related: Athlon Sports 2025 WNBA Preview Magazine Available Now
Related: Caitlin Clark Is Rested, Ready to Be Her Best After Offseason Recharge
Related: Caitlin Clark Is Rested, Ready to Be Her Best After Offseason Recharge
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