The 2025 WNBA season has been a tough one for the Dallas Wings, who are currently ranked last in the league and are out of playoffs contention. There isn't one clear-cut source for the problems the team have faced, though many have pointed to Chris Koclanes' lack of WNBA experience as a big part of it. Though the entirety of a season can't be pinned on one aspect, Dallas is at enormous risk of losing one of the team's No. 1 draft picks before the 2026 season begins.
The Wings drafted Arike Ogunbowale as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2019 Draft, the first selection the team had that year. Unlike most of the team's first picks in the last 10 years, Ogunbowale has spent her entire career in Dallas. But she's coming off several disappointing seasons in a row, and is emerging as a potential candidate for the two expansion teams joining the WNBA this year, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire.
Arike Ogunbowale is a leader through and through
Ogunbowale, who has been a leader for the Wings since she signed with the team, could bring a lot of leadership and veteran wisdom to a new team — and right now might be the best time in her career for her to make a move.
There's history to support the idea that players who were drafted by the Wings have improved since leaving the organization. For example, Allisha Gray, the team's No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 draft, was averaging 13.3 points per game in Dallas before she was traded to the Atlanta Dream. Gray shot up to 17.1 points per game during her first season with the Dream, and is currently playing an MVP-caliber season with the team in 2025.
Ogunbowale is also a versatile guard who can easily play the point and combination role, and she's just as adept as filling in as shooting guard when needed. That's not always easy to find in the W, and she deserves to be embraced by an organization with a winning track record.
The goals of the Wing as an organization this season aren't exactly clear, and many fans have posited the team may be tanking on purpose to secure the No. 1 overall draft pick next season. That's part of the game, (and not necessarily a terrible strategy when one considers the depth of talent available next year), but it might not align with the goals Ogwunbowale has for herself. No matter where she ends up, Ogunbowale is a considerable talent who should be celebrated as such.