Dallas Wings starter makes big offseason announcement, joining Paige Bueckers

The Dallas Wings traded for Yueru midseason, giving up two picks to bring her in from the Seattle Storm. She appeared in 22 games for the Wings before an ACL sprain in mid-August knocked her out for the rest of the season.

In her 22 appearances for the Wings, Yueru started 12 of them and averaged 7.4 PPG and 5.8 RPG, shooting 42.1% from the floor. This was just her third season in the WNBA, first playing for the Chicago Sky in the 2022 before playing in Turkey for the 2023 season. She returned to play for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2024, then signed with the Seattle Storm ahead of this season.

Li Yueru One of Many Free Agents for the Wings This Offseason

Li Yueru is one of ten free agents for the Wings this offseason, and of all the free agents that the team has, Yueru is one of the more likely options to return, especially because they gave up valuable draft capital for her, sending out a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick.

That second-round pick will be the 16th overall pick, at the very top of the second round, so Seattle could end up with a decent player because of it. It would be a mistake for the Wings to let a player walk after a partial season rental, especially when they gave up the 16th overall pick to do so.

Also, the Wings desperately need quality and consistent center play, and Yueru is at least a solid option. Could they find a better starter? Absolutely, but that doesn't stop the Wings from bringing her back as a depth piece on the bench.

Yueru joining the Unrivaled League, especially if she's on the same team as Bueckers, could be a sign that she'll be back in Dallas next season.

Other free agents for the Wings this offseason include Arike Ogunbowale, Myisha Hines-Allen, and Amy Okonkwo,