The Wings had a lot of high draft picks in the 2020s. They drafted Satou Sabally second overall in 2020, Bella Alarie fifth, and Ty Harris seventh. In 2021, they picked Charli Collier and Awak Kuier with the top two picks and Chelsea Dungee with the fifth pick. Then, they drafted Veronica Burton seventh overall in 2022, Maddy Siegrist third in 2023, Jacy Sheldon fifth in 2024, and Paige Bueckers first overall in 2025.
Bueckers and Siegrist are the only ones out of that group still on the Wings’ roster. Everyone else was either traded or cut or is now out of the league. The Wings haven’t given up on Awak Kuier quite yet, though. Kuier hasn’t played in the WNBA since 2023 and never averaged more than three points and three rebounds per game. Almost three years later, Kuier is still only 24 years old and has been working on her game in Europe.
Curt Miller has spoken highly of her since the finish of the 2025 WNBA season and seemed determined to bring her back to the Wings sooner rather than later. Now, new head coach Jose Fernandez has also said that Kuier’s return to the WNBA would be a good move. It seems that Kuier’s return to the Wings is truly imminent and not just something Miller is considering in case he can’t sign any impactful bigs in free agency.
“Awak was a part of this process and her coming back to the Wings would be very beneficial for her future,” Fernandez said when he appeared on In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams.
Awak Kuier is playing well overseas
Awak Kuier came into the WNBA at a very young age—too young maybe. She has grown a lot since her last season in the W. This season, she is a key player for the Turkish club Galatasaray Cagdas Factoring Istanbul. She averages 11.7 points, 7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 2.1 blocks in the top Turkish league and 10.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals in EuroLeague competition.
She put up big numbers against Schio, which features WNBA talent Cecilia Zandalasini, Jessica Shepard, and Kitija Laksa. Kuier also held her own against a stacked Fenerbahce team featuring Kayla McBride, Sevgi Uzun, Emma Meesseman, Iliana Rupert, Julie Allemand, Megan Gustafson, and Teaira McCowan. Meesseman, Rupert, Gustafson, and McCowan make quite a big rotation to go up against, but Kuier still recorded 7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 blocks.
Kuier also played well for the Finnish national team during the EuroBasket Qualifiers, scoring 15 points in a win over Sweden and 21 points in a loss to the Belgium national team led by Julie Allemand, Julie Vancouver, and Emma Meesseman.