The Dallas Wings agreed to a three-team Satou Sabally-led trade on Friday with the Phoenix Mercury and Indiana Fever. The move comes after Dallas made the move to core Sabally. With the star forward now headed to Phoenix, the Wings are searching for a new star to join Arike Ogunbowale. Will that star be UConn women's basketball guard Paige Bueckers?
The easy answer is yes. The reality of the situation, however, is there are more factors to consider than the Wings simply having the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Rumors have swirled, although not from Bueckers herself, that the UConn star could return to the college basketball level for her final season of eligibility if she does not have interest in joining the Wings. Some analysts have speculated something like this could come to fruition, while others have shut it down.
Paige Bueckers has yet to say anything about ditching the WNBA Draft in favor of playing at the college basketball level again, however. She has nothing else to prove at UConn. Sure, she would love to win a national championship this season, but returning for a sixth season wouldn't do her any favors from a WNBA Draft standpoint.
The Wings moving on from Sabally will surely catch her attention, though. Bueckers likely wants to join a team that has a plan to contend. No, they don't need to contend right now, after all the team will have the No. 1 overall pick for a reason.
So will the Wings' current core entice Bueckers enough to enter the 2025 WNBA Draft? Again, only Bueckers knows the answer to that question, but joining Dallas would have plenty of perks.
Dallas Wings are an underrated WNBA franchise with a bright future
The speculation about Bueckers not being interested in Dallas is surprising. It isn't as if the Wings are a bad franchise or anything such as that. In fact, the Dallas Wings are headed in a tremendous direction.
The 2025 WNBA season will be their final campaign in Arlington before officially moving to Dallas. Not only will they be getting a new arena, but the Wings will have a new practice facility as well. Fans may not take things such as practice facilities into consideration, but these are elements of a franchise that players take into serious consideration when thinking about joining a team.
As for the roster, the Wings have hope as well.
Arike Ogunbowale is set to lead the way once again. She is one of the best players in the league. An Ogunbowale and Bueckers-led backcourt would give opponents nightmares.
Teaira McCowan is a reliable center who can make a significant impact in the rebounding department while adding scoring prowess. Maddy Siegrist displayed signs of potential in 2024 despite dealing with injuries. The Wings added a number of players in the Sabally trade, including 24-year-old NaLyssa Smith who features a high ceiling.
In the end, this is Paige Bueckers' decision to make. Declaring for the 2025 WNBA Draft and getting selected first overall by the Dallas Wings may be an enticing possibility, despite what some reports have stated.