The WNBA may be mired in CBA negotiations at present, but once the players and league agree to a new deal all involved parties will focus their attention on the next big thing: the Expansion Draft that will see the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire establish their first-ever rosters.
Each team in the league will be impacted by the upcoming drafts, but the Dallas Wings could attract more attention from the Tempo and Fire than others. The Wings have a lot of players they could protect, but will very likely be limited to only five — a fact that opens up a lot of possibilities for the rest of the league.
There is little doubt the Wings will protect Paige Bueckers, their number one draft pick from the 2025 WNBA Draft, and it's not likely the Tempo or Fire think they have any chance of swiping her from the team. Veteran Arike Ogunbowale is also an asset to the Wings in more ways than one. There have been rumors floated that Ogunbowale isn't exactly happy with how things are going for her in Dallas, but she has tremendous trade potential for the team if that is the case — so count her as part of the protected list.
So with two players on the list, who else is left? Maddy Siegrist is a lock, as she's more than proven her value to and impact on the team. There are quite a few players to consider for the final two spots, including Awak Kuier, who spent the 2024 season playing in Europe, as well as Myisha Hines-Allen, Aziaha James, Li Yueru, and Luisa Geiselsoder.
Ultimately, it's not exactly clear who may end up making the final cut for the Wings. Yueru joined the team relatively late in the season by way of the Seattle Storm, and Geiselsoder started most of the games she played for Dallas in 2025. Aziaha James has plenty of potential but could be more readily developed elsewhere.
There is no set date for the Expansion Date
Dallas fans may find themselves a little more nervous than fans of other teams when the Expansion Draft finally rolls around. It's both a positive and a negative thing that the date hasn't yet been set — on one hand, fans can hold on to the roster as they know it for a little while longer, but on the other, that means negotiations between the players and the league are still dragging on, and we're not any closer to getting the 2026 WNBA season off the ground.