Sep 4, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) huddles with guard Grace Berger (9) and forward Myisha Hines-Allen (2) and other players during the second half against the Golden State Valkyries at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images John Hefti-Imagn Images

Who Should Dallas Wings Protect in WNBA Expansion Draft?

Originally posted on Dallas Wings on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Mar 29, 2026 2:06 PM ET

Sunday is the day that the WNBA needs the list of which players each team will be protecting for the upcoming expansion draft on Friday, April 3rd. The list of unprotected players will then be passed to the new expansion teams, the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, giving them enough time to order their draft boards.

The Dallas Wings are expected to have a player come off the board early. They may have been a bad team last year, but they have a lot of young, intriguing talent, as well as a star who could be available in the expansion draft.

Each team can protect up to 5 players, whether they're under contract, set to be a free agent, or have their rights held by the team but are currently playing elsewhere (internationally). That last note could be important for the Wings.

Here is our best educated guess for the five players that the Wings will protect.

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Paige Bueckers, Guard

Duh. This one shouldn't need much explanation. Paige Bueckers was an All-WNBA Second Team selection in his rookie year, producing one of the best rookie seasons of all time. She's a franchise cornerstone and should be one of the best players in the WNBA for a long time, assuming she can stay healthy.

Maddy Siegrist, Forward

The former third overall pick out of Villanova struggled to start her career but really came into her own last year, averaging 12.7 PPG. She has just a year remaining on her rookie contract, but she should be a building block for the franchise.

Aziaha James, Guard

Paige Bueckers may have been the first overall pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft, but Aziaha James was also a first-round pick and had a solid first season, averaging 7.5 PPG. She should be an obvious candidate to keep.

Awak Kuier, Center

Let's get weird. Kuier has been out of the WNBA for the last two seasons after being the second overall pick in 2021. Her first three seasons in the league were middling, but she has played very well overseas. Dallas needs to improve its center play, which they could do at the top of the WNBA Draft by selecting Awa Fam. If they choose to protect Kuier, it might signal them leaning toward Azzi Fudd.

Arike Ogunbowale, Guard

The final spot in this instance comes down to Arike Ogunbowale, Li Yueru, JJ Quinerly, and Diamond Miller. Even with Ogunbowale set to enter free agency, it's hard to let a four-time All-Star walk out of the building for free unless they're totally sure that she and Paige Bueckers can't play together. They could've traded her at the trade deadline and didn't. They still think she can be a part of the core.

If they choose to go a different direction, JJ Quinerly seems to be the next most likely option. Quinerly was a third-round pick last year and showed some potential as a defender.

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

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