The end of the season can't come soon enough for the Dallas Wings. With five games left to go, they're on the precipice of having to forfeit one of them due to an inability to field a healthy enough roster to adhere to the WNBA's requirements. You must have at least eight active players to play a basketball game, and unless something changes by tip-off, Chris Koclanes may not have that.
Wings' injury report
Paige Bueckers: Questionable (Illness)
Haley Jones: Doubtful (Knee)
Aziaha James: Doubtful (Ankle)
Arike Ogunbowale: Out (Knee)
Tyasha Harris: Out (Knee)
JJ Quinerly: Out (Knee)
Li Yueru: Out (Knee)
Luisa Geiselsoder: Out (Shoulder)
Wings' active players
Diamond Miller
Myisha Hines-Allen
Serena Sundell
Grace Berger
Christyn Williams
Amy Okonkwo
Maddy Siegrist
Paige is Dallas' best hope for tonight's game
The Wings need Bueckers to feel good enough to suit up tonight in a big way. The last time a team was forced to forfeit a game was the Las Vegas Aces in 2018, but it wasn't for the same reason. The Aces were exhausted after extenuating circumstances forced them to travel for nearly 26 hours ahead of a matchup with the Washington Mystics.
The league tried to accommodate them by pushing the tip-off back to 8:00 pm, but they opted to just give up the game entirely. It was just too much at the time. If Dallas forfeits because they can't put enough healthy athletes on the floor, it'll be the first time in WNBA history.
They clearly don't want that to be the case. Coach Koclanes likely doesn't want that on his record, either. That's why they're doing everything in their power to ensure it doesn't happen, and why you see so many names on the active list that didn't start the season with this team.
Christyn Williams played at UConn with Paige, but that was years ago. She was drafted in the second round of the 2022 draft, but she was waived before the season started. She hasn't played a lick of basketball in the W since then. Every time she's been signed to a contract, she's been gone by the time the games were starting.
But it's a testament to staying ready because she'll likely get minutes tonight after signing an Extreme Hardship Contract with the team this morning. Amy Okonkwo signed a second hardship deal with the Wings, too. Dallas desperately needs that. However, it'll all be for nothing if they don't get Bueckers, James, or Jones to suit up.
Now, they do have the option of making one of those players active, but relegating them to the bench for the entire game. We'll see if they take that route because we just don't know right now. Paige is questionable, but held that designation before their last game before being made active, only to end up as a late scratch right before tip-off against the Sun.
This season has been filled with an unbelievable amount of adversity. It needs to be over as fast as possible. The Wings are limping to the finish line, and they all need rest and a reset badly.