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After parting ways with head coach Curt Miller, the Los Angeles Sparks, he had discussions with his family about potentially taking a year off.
However, various coaching and front-office opportunities emerged across the WNBA, with the Dallas Wings standing out.
On Nov. 8, the Wings announced Miller as their new executive vice president and general manager, entrusting the seasoned coach with guiding the franchise into its next phase.
One of the appealing aspects of the role for Miller was the Wings’ upcoming move from Arlington to Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, near the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.
“We know that’s such a game changer for our franchises around the league and what the players in our league are looking for,” Miller said.
Miller’s arrival could bring good fortune to the Wings. The franchise secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft after winning the lottery, marking just the second time in team history.
With the draft scheduled for next April, UConn standout Paige Bueckers, who was named Naismith Player of the Year as a freshman in 2021, is widely expected to be the top pick.
Excitement surrounding the Wings is already building, as the team announced Monday that season tickets have sold out for the second year in a row—five months earlier than last season.
This comes after the Wings’ 9-31 record in 2024, so the anticipation for Bueckers may already be brewing in Dallas.
While fans may be anticipating Bueckers joining the Wings, Miller refrained from speculating on the pick.
“We know what No. 1 picks, especially in recent years, have really meant to franchises around the league,” Miller noted. “And we talk a lot about in this league from a standpoint of building core threes and core fours … And so the opportunity to add a No. 1 pick to our roster and the vision that that person could become a part of a core three or core four is so exciting for us.”
After the Wings secured the top pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, Miller shared a playful GIF captioned, “How do you like them apples?!” in reference to Dallas clinching the No. 1 pick over the Sparks.
Miller’s impressive coaching and front-office background supports his enthusiasm. Prior to his two seasons with the Sparks, he spent seven years as the general manager and head coach of the Connecticut Sun, winning WNBA Executive of the Year accolades in 2017 and earning Coach of the Year honors twice (2017, 2021).
Even during the brief period of being between roles, Miller’s focus remained on roster construction. With the WNBA’s first expansion draft since 2008 on the horizon due to the Golden State Valkyries joining the league in 2025, Miller was already strategizing.
Teams can protect up to six players from selection, leading to challenging decisions league-wide.
“I wasn’t thinking about sideline out-of-bounds plays,” Miller recalled. “I was waking up in the morning without a job, thinking about moves that a GM would make … I’ve missed the dual-hat. I’ve missed that opportunity of helping construct rosters from the GM standpoint.”
To implement Miller’s vision, the Wings still need a new coach. Dallas is among the three WNBA teams with coaching vacancies, alongside the Sun and Washington Mystics, while the upcoming Toronto and Portland expansion franchises set to debut in 2026 also require coaching hires.
Miller mentioned that the search for the Wings’ next coach will have a global reach.
“There are WNBA options, collegiate options, NBA options, but most importantly, the game is global, and there are international options. So I’m really enjoying the process of the head coaching search,” he said.
The Wings recently promoted Travis Charles to senior vice president of basketball operations and Jasmine Thomas to vice president of basketball operations and assistant general manager.
Thomas has worked closely with Miller for eight seasons across various teams.
“One of the first things I asked was for management to pursue Jasmine, and she played a vital role during that time in LA,” Miller commented. “So out of my nine years as a head coach in the league, Jasmine was with me for eight of those years. Reuniting in a new capacity where we’re working together was truly the cherry on top of this opportunity to come to Dallas.”p>
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