Throughout the college basketball offseason, it hasn’t been difficult to spot the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft. While UConn star Paige Bueckers has been waiting for the opportunity from walking the hardwood this fall, she’s bounced between coasts, from one high-profile event to another celebrity showcase, appearing at the ESPYs, New York Fashion Week, the US Open and several others. WNBA games. She even captioned one of his Instagram posts capturing his jet-setting offseason: “I still hoop, I swear.”
THE Dallas Wings will be happy that Bueckers is still playing — and playing well — since the Wings won the 2025 WNBA Draft lottery on Sunday, allowing them to select Bueckers with the top pick in April. Hope is born in Dallas, but it may take until May for Bueckers’ impact to be felt.
The likelihood of Bueckers’ arrival will influence Dallas’ coaching search, his market value and the direction of his franchise.
This year’s lottery was unique uncertainty around three of the four franchises involved in drawing. The Wings, as well as the The Sparks of Los Angeles And Washington Mysticsfired their coach this offseason. None hired a replacement. The draw of Bueckers — a career 19.9 points per game scorer, national player of the year and two-time All-American — can potentially improve a candidate’s calculus.
“The coaching search has already generated a tremendous amount of interest,” said new Wings general manager Curt Miller. “This will only increase it.”
Players like Bueckers have the potential to turn around a franchise. They make jobs more attractive to aspiring coaches and generate more interest among fans. (Look no further than Fever hiring Stephanie White will coach Caitlin Clarkand the Chicago Sky hires Tyler Marsh to coach Angel Reese.) The Wings hired Miller as general manager earlier this month, not knowing exactly where Dallas would land on Sunday. But his task of recruiting a coach now seems easier. If one were to wonder which remaining opening in the league (Dallas, Los Angeles, Washington or Connecticut) is more attractive, the idea of coaching Bueckers could propel the Wings into first place.
Among the central questions for the Wings entering this offseason was which of their final two seasons under former coach Latricia Trammell was an anomaly. Was their 2023 campaign, in which they went 22-18 and finished No. 4, a fluke? Or is their injury-riddled 2024 season that ended with a 9-31 record and a coaching change the deviation?
Dallas’ answers will chart its course this offseason, while retaining the star as an unrestricted free agent Satou Sabally and add depth around the star guard Arike Ogunbowale will remain priorities. Although Bueckers, a redshirt senior, has an extra year of college eligibility, add her to that pair of Wings cornerstones and the goal of becoming a top contender is more achievable. She’s a versatile playmaker who affects the game whether she’s running the ball or spacing the floor as a career 42.7 percent 3-point shooter. At 6 feet, she can also slide between positions on defense. Of his time with the Connecticut SunshineMiller knows the importance of strong cores and said whoever the franchise selects has the opportunity to fit right into that group.
For the Wings, the benefits of Sunday’s lottery extend beyond the field. Clark, last year’s No. 1 pick, has proven to be a dynamic player and economy in her own right. The Fever dominated the WNBA for the first time, had record-breaking televised games on six networks and sparked blowouts at local businesses. Bueckers’ presence will surely be a boon for a franchise that is eyeing a move from Arlington to downtown Dallas by the start of the 2026 season, planning to open a new practice facility that year and undergoing broader business transformations. The Wings rebudgeted their ticket revenue three times last season, added more national partners than ever and sold two-half percent stakes this summer for a record valuation of $208 million.
“I can’t begin to tell you how much energy this injects, excitement, as we head into Season 25 and with more good news regarding Dallas, with two facilities coming here soon , what a great time to be a Wing,” Miller said.
Bueckers’ college career didn’t follow a perfect script. She arrived in Storrs, Conn., in the fall of 2020 knowing a season with COVID-19 protocols would make her freshman year different than she had imagined during the recruiting process. Although she won National Player of the Year that season, the Huskies lost in the Final Four to Arizona. She only played 17 games as a sophomore due to injury and missed the entire 2022-23 campaign with a torn ACL. Last season was only his second healthy college season, although it ended with a Final Four loss – his third loss to that point.
The Bueckers approached this season with a different mindset. No more ‘passive Paige,’” she says. said this summer. In an effort to enjoy every moment she has left at college, she takes on various roles and positions. Helping UConn win its first national championship since 2016 is his No. 1 goal. “This is my last year to get what I came here for,” she said, clarifying her plans to turn professional this spring.
Sunday was cause for celebration in Dallas, even though Miller was not physically present at any festivities. His flight from Los Angeles (he coached the Sparks last season and was fired in September) was delayed and ultimately canceled, even though his luggage was still on the way. “We talked about how if that was the only bad thing to happen, today would be a great day,” Miller said.
The theft issue was the only problem. Although Bueckers has yet to officially declare for the draft, the Wings hope she will fly coast-to-coast with them next summer. Of course, it might not take until then to make a difference.
“We know what No. 1 draft picks have done to franchises,” Miller said, “and in recent years, how they’ve changed the trajectory of teams.”
This article was originally published in Athletics.
Dallas Wings, Connecticut Huskies, WNBA
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