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The WNBA offseason is officially here after the Las Vegas Aces took home their third championship in four season, and they officially look to be a dynasty. They have one of the best players in the league in A’ja Wilson, and have flanked her with the talent necessary to win championships.
The Dallas Wings are hoping they build up the roster around star rookie Paige Bueckers, as they want to build their own dynasty, but they need to focus on at least getting out of the lottery first.
One of the many decisions they’ll have to make this offseason is what to do with free agent Arike Ogunbowale. She’s clearly the second-most talented player on the roster behind Bueckers, but it was arguable that the two stars aren’t great fits together.
However, Ogunbowale is one of the top free agents available, ranked as the 5th best guard by FanSided’s Emmy Spersrud.
“Ogunbowale has spent all seven of her years in the WNBA with the Dallas Wings since they drafted her fifth overall in 2019,” Spersrud wrote. “She has been reliable, averaging 19.9 points per game over her career — earning her four WNBA All-Star appearances. Although, she hit a career low in average points per game with 15.5 this season, and shot only 30.4 percent from the floor. She and Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers, could not seem to create consistent chemistry during their time on the court together. This has given fans a reason to believe we might be seeing her in different colors next season.”
READ MORE: Dallas Wings come up low in WNBA power rankings
The Dallas Wings had every opportunity to trade Arike Ogunbowale during the season, but they believe they can bring her back and find a way to make her and Bueckers co-exist on the floor. How likely that is will depend on the coach they bring in.
Chris Koclanes was fired after just one season as the head coach. and it made sense, given that the team was 10-34 and didn’t really have much direction when on the floor.
Two-time champion Sandy Brondello seems to be the frontrunner after she was fired by the New York Liberty, as the Wings didn’t even make their decision to fire Koclanes until Brondello was fired. She just led the Liberty to a championship a year ago and has already been dismissed, but she should be able to raise the Wings’ floor.
As far as Ogunbowale, she’ll probably be brought back, even if it might be in the team’s best interest to execute a sign-and-trade to let her get a new opportunity while still getting some assets back.
READ MORE: Three draft prospects to keep an eye on for Dallas Wings
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