Back-to-back | Dallas Wings secure No. 1 pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft

DALLAS — The Dallas Wings won big at Sunday’s WNBA Draft Lottery. For the second consecutive year, the Wings came home with the rights to the No. 1 overall pick in the WNBA Draft. 

Dallas has been a franchise in flux since it moved to North Texas, but with last year’s No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers cementing herself as a team leader, another star could make the Wings a real contender.

The Wings had the best odds to land the top pick after a tumultuous 10-34 season and were guaranteed to select in the top-2. Still, there might have been some divine intervention. Forward Maddie Siegrist, who was the Wing’s representative last year when they secured the top pick that became Bueckers, repeated her duties as the team’s lucky charm. And get this, she was blessed by the Pope in the offseason.

The 2026 draft class is stacked with talent. 

UCLA center Lauren Betts, who averaged 20.2 points and 9.5 rebounds per game for the Bruins, is at the top of most draft boards and is arguably the obvious pick for Dallas. The Wings have a guard-heavy roster and are in desperate need of size.

The Wings could also select Bueckers’ championship-winning teammate and girlfriend, Azzi Fudd. Fudd averaged 13.6 points with the Huskies last season, playing alongside Bueckers. She was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player for her performance during UConn’s championship campaign.

Another top talent who has skyrocketed onto the scene is Awa Fam, a 6’6″ 19-year-old Spanish center currently competing in the Liga Femenina de Baloncesto, a pro women’s league in Spain. Fam has played for the team Valencia Basket since she was 15 years old, and recorded her first double-double in just her third game. 

Fam turns 20 in June. Due to WNBA rules, college prospects have to be at least 22 years old or have graduated from a four-year college. Fam, along with other international players, has the advantage of youth, which is appealing to franchises trying to build a long-term future.

Other top talent in the draft includes TCU’s Olivia Miles, South Carolina’s Ta’Niya Latson and LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson.

Any of those players has the potential to elevate a franchise, and Dallas is a team in desperate need of a fresh start. The franchise fired head coach Chris Kochlanes in the offseason and hired Jose Fernandez, who was spotted at a UConn women’s basketball game on Nov. 16.

The goal for the Wings should be singular: build a winning team around Paige Bueckers. Sunday night’s win could help them reach that goal faster than anticipated.