The Wings may have finished the season with the worst record in the league, but that disappointment comes with a very bright silver lining. Dallas will get another lottery pick to pair with Paige Bueckers. After two losing seasons, the Wings have the best odds to win the 2026 lottery.
However, even if they don’t get the number one pick, they will have the chance to add the perfect piece to the roster. The Wings have five players under contract for the 2025 season: Diamond Miller, Maddy Siegrist, Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly. Bueckers is one of the best guards in the game, James is a promising young wing, Siegrist and Miller have potential at the forward spots, and Quinerly made her mark as a gritty defender.
One type of player is still missing from that young core: a great center. Fortunately, the 2026 draft is expected to produce at least two star-level centers, and the Wings have a solid chance to secure one of them before any other team gets a chance to steal them away.
Awa Fam and Lauren Betts are expected to headline the 2026 WNBA Draft
Lauren Betts is a name many WNBA fans in the U.S. are familiar with. She played three seasons at Stanford and UCLA. Over that time, she has improved consistently. Last season, Betts averaged 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.9 blocks per game. She was also named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year. Betts is exactly the kind of big that the Wings could use next to Paige Bueckers. She could vastly improve the Wings’ rebounding and rim protection. However, she is not the only big projected to go at the top of the draft.
Spanish teen Awa Fam is also making her case to be a lottery pick. Though only 19, Fam will be draft eligible next year. She has an immense upside as an athletic two-way big with a great passing ability and already proved that she can compete with WNBA-level talent. Fam put up 21 points on 9-13 shooting, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks in a 65-64 semifinal win over France during EuroBasket this summer. The French team featured WNBA youngsters Iliana Rupert, Janelle Salaün, and Leila Lacan.
Drafting either one could ensure the Wings’ success for years.
The Wings still have work to do
Landing Paige Bueckers was only one of many steps the Wings will have to take to build a contender. With a new CBA still not in place and expansion drafts for the Tempo and Fire looming, the offseason is full of uncertainty. For the Wings, this uncertainty includes Arike Ogunbowale’s future.
Ogunbowale has been the face of the Wings’ franchise for years now. However, after she only played 29 games this season, the Wings’ focus clearly shifted to Bueckers. The Wings may choose to move on from Ogunbowale or the veteran could decide that it is time for a change of scenery. Either way, the Wings have a lot of choices to make this offseason.
Nailing the 2026 WNBA Draft is only another step in the Wings’ journey to contention.