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The Dallas Wings have already shown they’re willing to rebuild with a few trades this season, most recently sending DiJonai Carrington to the Minnesota Lynx.
That had fans wondering if they’d be willing to shop four-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale. According to Melissa Triebwasser, that’s a resounding no.
“I can also confirm that Arike Ogunbowale was not and will not be shopped before the deadline. She will be a free agent following this season but the Wings are hopeful she will remain in Dallas long term,” Triebwasser posed on X/Twitter.
I can also confirm that Arike Ogunbowale was not and will not be shopped before the deadline.
She will be a free agent following this season but the Wings are hopeful she will remain in Dallas long term. #wingsup #wnba @Winsidr
— Melissa Triebwasser (@TheCoachMelissa) August 4, 2025
READ MORE: Dallas Wings make roster move ahead of New York Liberty matchup
With Ogunbowale on the final year of her contract, it would be understandable if the Dallas Wings just went all-in for a rebuild and traded her. However, according to Triebwasser, Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers were notified of the Carrington trade ahead of time, and remain committed to the cause.
“For those concerned about Paige Bueckers/Arike Ogunbowale and any potential negative reaction to the moves: the star players of the Wings were involved in these conversations. These moves were not made in a vacuum,” Triebwasser said.
The Wings, like many WNBA teams, will have quite a few free agents this offseason. Ogunbowale is one of three unrestricted free agents, along with Myisha Hines-Allen and Tyasha Harris. It’s unfortunate for Harris, who is out for the season with a knee injury after just 5 games.
They also have Li Yueru, Luisa Geiselsoder, and Haley Jones, who will be Exclusive Rights Free Agents. It’s hard to imagine they don’t at least bring Yueru back after trading two draft picks for her earlier this season. Haley Jones has been a welcome surprise, too.
Some are convinced that the Wings would be better long-term by trading Arike Ogunbowale and getting a few draft picks or another young player to build around. And maybe it is. But Ogunbowale is only 28 with plenty of time to still develop as a perfect second option for Paige Bueckers.
They’ve had some issues getting acclimated to playing together, as they are both ball-dominant scoring guards, but you’d still be hoping the Wings could find another player like Ogunbowale, who was just the All-Star Game MVP a year ago. Injuries have hampered her production this season, which can really be said for the entire roster, but the Wings believe in building around Bueckers and Ogunbowale for the foreseeable future.
READ MORE: Dallas Wings’ Paige Bueckers leads entire WNBA rookie class in multiple categories
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