Jul 3, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) celebrates with Dallas Wings forward Myisha Hines-Allen (2) and Dallas Wings guard JJ Quinerly (11) against the Phoenix Mercury during the first half at College Park Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Key Dallas Wings rookie undergoes offseason surgery

Originally posted on Dallas Wings on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Oct 4, 2025 5:22 PM ET

The 2025 WNBA season ended about a month ago for the Dallas Wings with a 97-76 win over the Phoenix Mercury, who are down 1-0 in the WNBA Finals. That was a good way to close a mostly forgettable season for the Wings, who went 10-34 and will have the best odds to land the first overall pick in the 2026 Draft because of it.

The one bright spot for the Wings this season was their talented batch of rookies, led by Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers, who had an outstanding first season by averaging 19.2 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 3.9 RPG. But she wasn't the only good rookie for the Wings this season.

JJ Quinerly was the 27th overall pick in last year's draft, going near the top of the third round, and she turned in a solid season, averaging 6.5 PPG, 2.3 APG, and 1.9 RPG in her 34 appearances. She was also one of the few above-average perimeter defenders they have.

Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

However, Quinerly hurt her knee late in the season, causing her to miss the final few games. And on Friday, the Wings announced that Quinerly had surgery earlier in the week. In their words, she had an "osteochondral allograft procedure" to repair the meniscus in her left knee.

That type of procedure removes tissue from the affected area and puts tissue from a donor in. Recovery can take 6-8 months, but the Wings seem confident that Quinerly will be ready for the 2026 season, if there even is one, because of the likely incoming lockout.

Dallas Wings rookie guard JJ Quinerly underwent successful knee surgery on Thursday. Quinerly had an osteochondral allograft procedure and repaired the meniscus in her left knee.

Get well soon, JJ pic.twitter.com/nF3goklAq7
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) October 3, 2025

JJ Quinerly a Piece to Build Around for Wings

Paige Bueckers is clearly the building block of the team moving forward, as she should be, but the Wings are trying to prioritize putting a good team around her. They have a lot of free agents, including four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale, to make decisions about as they try to build the team up.

Quinerly should be a player they want to keep. She's under contract for a few more seasons, but trades are always an option. If the Wings are a serious organization, they'll want to keep her around for at least one more season.

Dallas had an awful defense this season, one of the worst in the WNBA. Having a defender of Quinerly's caliber is something this team needs, even if she's a little undersized and can struggle to score at times.

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

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