Subscribe
Follow Us
Will the Dallas Wings consider trading a player who has been the face of the franchise over the past few years? Would Dallas ponder the possibility of moving on from one of the best scorers in franchise history? Is there any truth to the recent Arike Ogunbowale trade rumors? Multiple sources recently discussed the situation with ClutchPoints.
The idea of an Ogunbowale trade has been mentioned in recent weeks. Discussions around the topic have primarily surfaced from people simply floating the idea as opposed to verified reports. Ogunbowale trade stirrings have strictly been limited to rumors for the most part.
Still, the Wings are near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, and Ogunbowale is going to enter unrestricted free agency in the offseason. Trading Ogunbowale — as opposed to watching her leave in free agency — is arguably a logical move. However, moving on from the face of a franchise is also a difficult decision to make.
The Wings have already been active, trading NaLyssa Smith to the Las Vegas Aces. The decision to move on from Smith signaled a rebuild.
So is there any validity to the Arike Ogunbowale trade rumors, or are they simply a product of social media talk?
What I'm hearing about Wings-Arike Ogunbowale trade rumors
Multiple sources have told ClutchPoints that they have not heard anything about progression towards a potential Ogunbowale trade. Some sources have said they would understand a deal given the free-agency element, but they have not heard anything about a trade coming to fruition.
One source said, “I don't think we (Wings) want to give up on her yet.”
The general narrative seems to be that Dallas will be hesitant to move on from Ogunbowale. However, that doesn't mean it is completely out of the question.
The Wings have played well recently, winning five of their last seven games. If Dallas continues to trend in a promising direction, then perhaps the chances of an Ogunbowale trade happening will further decline. If the team falls back into a slump before the Aug. 7 trade deadline, though, then general manager Curt Miller may have a difficult decision to make.
Will the Wings trade Ogunbowale?
At the moment, I'd lean towards saying that an Ogunbowale trade won't happen. She is one of the higher-paid players in the WNBA, and the fact of the matter is that Ogunbowale has not played her best basketball during the 2025 WNBA season.
A four-time All-Star, Ogunbowale is averaging just 16.8 points on 36.3 percent field-goal and 30.3 percent three-point shooting.
Factoring in her contract, upcoming free agency and challenging '25 campaign (also worth noting that she is currently dealing with a thumb injury), the Wings likely wouldn't be able to receive enough value to support the idea of trading a star who has played with Dallas since 2019.
However, it wouldn't be surprising if the Wings at least listened if a team in need of a scoring boost called about Ogunbowale. One of the sources who spoke to ClutchPoints doesn't expect Dallas to reach out and make aggressive Ogunbowale trade offers, but the idea of the Wings considering an offer made to them isn't out of the question.
Finally, Paige Bueckers is the future of the franchise. People familiar with the situation have agreed that Dallas plans to build around the former UConn women's basketball star. Could Dallas build around Bueckers and Ogunbowale?
It is possible, but it remains to be seen if the Wings would be willing to re-sign Ogunbowale to a lucrative long-term contract amid their current rebuild. Dallas may prefer to focus on younger talent and begin looking towards the future.
