The Wings could be on the verge of another historic night.
Dallas has the No. 1 odds in Sunday’s WNBA draft lottery with a 42% chance to secure the top pick for the second consecutive year. The team secured the top pick in 2024 and selected Paige Bueckers No. 1 overall in the 2025 WNBA draft.
Securing another No. 1 pick would bode well for the Wings who finished 10-34 in 2025 under first-year coach Chris Koclanes and 9-31 the previous season. Now, with newly-hired coach Jose Fernandez, Dallas hopes to build around Bueckers, the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Odds are determined by the two-year cumulative results of the five teams that didn’t make the playoffs this past season.
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The last team to win consecutive No. 1 picks was the Indiana Fever, which drafted Aliyah Boston first in 2023 and Caitlin Clark first in 2024. The Fever went from 5-31 in 2022 before Boston’s arrival to 20-20 with both Boston and Clark on the roster in 2024.
Wings general manager Curt Miller has said the team needs to raise its talent level, and the draft is a good place to start.
Should Dallas win the top pick, it could secure UCLA senior Lauren Betts, the projected No. 1 pick in ESPN’s 2026 WNBA mock draft. The 6-7 senior was a first-team All-American last season, averaging 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game for a Bruins team that advanced to the Final Four. Also in the mix are projected No. 2 pick Olivia Miles, a point guard from TCU, and projected No. 3 pick Azzi Fudd of UConn. Fudd and Bueckers, who won a national championship together at UConn last season, are dating.
The Minnesota Lynx, who own the Chicago Sky’s top pick, have a 26% chance of winning the No. 1 pick, and the Seattle Storm, who own the LA Sparks’ top pick, have a 16.7% chance. The Washington Mystics have just under a 10% opportunity and the Chicago Sky, who have the Connecticut Sun’s first-round choice, have a 5.5% chance.
Regardless of what happens Sunday, Dallas has the rights to three first-round draft selections over the next two years, including a lottery pick in 2026. Since the Wings have the worst record, they are guaranteed no less than the No. 3 pick.
The draft lottery will take place as the WNBA and the players’ union negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. The deadline for negotiations was extended from Oct. 31 to Nov. 30.
Along with hosting the WNBA draft, which usually takes place in April, the league will help two new teams build rosters through an expansion draft. With the current CBA set to expire, more than 100 players will be free agents in 2026.
Dallas Wings star Paige Bueckers has been booked and busy this offseason
She’s announced several partnerships, attended Dallas-area sporting events and is set to star in an upcoming film.
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