In 2019, the Dallas Wings drafted Arike Ogunbowale with the fifth pick. They landed a four-time All-Star, two-time All-Star Game MVP, and three-time All-WNBA Team member. Despite Ogunbowale’s talent as a scorer, the Wings haven’t been able to build much consistency around her. Star players—most notably Natasha Howard, Satou Sabally, and Allisha Gray—and coaches have come and gone regularly.
When the Wings parted ways with Latricia Trammell and hired Chris Koclanes after the 2024 season, it marked the team’s fourth head coach in seven years. Now, Koclanes is out too. After the season, it was initially expected that the Wings wouldn’t make any coaching changes after just one season. Nevertheless, the Wings announced that they parted ways with Koclanes on September 30.
The Wings will have to hire their fifth head coach since 2019.
Chris Koclanes’s first season as a WNBA head coach was difficult
Chris Koclanes came into his first WNBA season with a promising roster. The Wings still had Arike Ogunbowale, just drafted Paige Bueckers, and added DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith in the offseason. Things went downhill quickly. Ogunbowale only played 29 games due to injuries, Smith was traded to the Aces after just 18 games, and Carrington was shipped to the Lynx ahead of the trade deadline, leaving Koclanes with a young, inexperienced, and injury-ridden roster.
The Wings ultimately finished the season with a league-worst 10-34 record and a lot of question marks.
Koclanes didn’t win over many fans in Dallas. Many doubted his ability to master rotations, draw up good plays, and put players in positions to thrive. Fans calling for his job only added to the many difficulties the Wings had to navigate this season.
The Wings enter an offseason full of uncertainty
Considering the worrying status of the CBA negotiations, every team is entering an offseason full of uncertainty. The Wings are no exception. Their situation is a little different, though, because Dallas actually has several players under contract for the 2026 season. Diamond Miller, Maddy Siegrist, Paige Bueckers, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly are still on their rookie contracts, giving the Wings at least some idea what they will have to work with in the next season.
Besides the coach, the biggest question mark is Arike Ogunbowale. She has been loyal to the Wings despite little playoff success. Things may be different now. The Wings organization is still plagued by inconsistency and will likely continue to struggle through this rebuild for a while longer. So, the question is whether Ogunbowale wants to play for a fifth coach and another young, losing team or if she would rather try her luck with a more veteran team competing for a title.