Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers celebrates during the second half against the Phoenix Mercury. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

3 things Dallas Wings should be thankful for

Originally posted on Dallas Wings on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Nov 27, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The Dallas Wings are going into Thanksgiving with a lot to celebrate despite being the WNBA's worst team in the 2025 season.

The team has a lot to look forward to for 2026 and beyond as it tries to begin its climb back towards the top of the league. Here are three things the Wings should be thankful for during the holiday season:

Paige Bueckers

Bueckers, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft and reigning Rookie of the Year, is going to be the face of the franchise for however long she wishes to be. Bueckers is someone that will make or break the Wings for the foreseeable future.

Players like Bueckers don't come into the league every year, so the fact that the Wings were able to select her in the draft is something the franchise shouldn't take for granted. Now, they have to build a roster around her that can contend for a championship.

Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

No. 1 overall pick

Earlier this week, the Wings secured the No. 1 overall pick for a second consecutive year. Whether the Wings take UCLA center Lauren Betts, Spanish big Awa Fam or UConn guard Azzi Fudd, the team will have the chance to take an elite player to pair with Bueckers.

There's also a world in which the Wings trade the pick, which could net them additional draft capital to build around Bueckers and the rest of the young core.

Jose Fernandez

The Wings hired Fernandez earlier in the offseason to help guide them into the future. Fernandez is someone with connections to college basketball after a quarter-century at the University of South Florida.

Fernandez also built a system and program centered around the European game, which is beginning to have a lot of influence in the WNBA. The Wings are now ahead of the curve and that should put them in a strong position to succeed down the line.

This article first appeared on Dallas Wings on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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