Out of the four teams in the WNBA Draft Lottery, the Dallas Wings were in the best position to make some immediate noise if they won the number one pick. After all, the team already has a proven All-Star guard in Arike Ogunbowale, and landing a generational talent like Paige Bueckers might convince Satou Sabally to return to Dallas.
After a 2024 season that was derailed by injuries, the Wings caught a break and edged out the Los Angeles Sparks for the number-one pick in the 2025 draft. If Bueckers declares for the draft like she is widely expected to, her impact on the W could be similar to what happened with Caitlin Clark in 2024.
The Wings were granted the opportunity to build something special and reclaim their status as a competitive playoff team. Since drafting Ogunbowale in 2019, the Wings have only gotten out of the first round once. It is time to change that, but the Wings still have a crucial decision to make.
The Wings still need to hire a new head coach
The end of the 2024 WNBA season saw seven teams part ways with their coaches. One of them was Wings head coach Latricia Trammell, who led Dallas to 22-18 and 9-31 records during her two seasons with the team.
Out of those seven teams, four have hired head coaches so far. The Los Angeles Sparks landed Lynne Roberts, the Atlanta Dream hired Karl Smesko, the Chicago Sky brought in Tyler Marsh, and the Indiana Fever lured Stephanie White back to her former team. That leaves the Connecticut Sun, the Washington Mystics, and the Dallas Wings without head coaches.
Now that they have the number-one pick and all the opportunities that come with it, the Wings are under special pressure to get this hiring right. Players like Ogunbowale want to win, and the Wings must keep her happy, especially since they are already at risk of losing Natasha Howard and Satou Sabally. Ogunbowale was thrilled when the Wings won the lottery, knowing well what this could do for her team.
So, the Wings must find someone who can guide the team back on the winning track but also someone who can develop a young talent and help her become her best self. Making the transition from the college level to the WNBA is not always easy—The Wings’ last number-one pick, Charli Collier only played 45 games in the WNBA—and Dallas must create an environment in which both young players as well as veterans can succeed.
Making such an important decision should not be rushed, but the Wings also cannot afford to wait much longer. Most of the best coaches available have already been hired, and they are not the only team looking for coaching talent.
The Mystics also need someone who can work with young talent, and the Sun are likely looking for someone who can help the team stay competitive after losing Stephanie White. Plus, some assistant coaches eying their first head coaching jobs may want to wait and compete for jobs with the league’s new expansion franchises. Being a first-time head coach on an expansion team comes with significantly less pressure than doing it on a team expected to go to the playoffs.