Ever since the Dallas Mavericks drafted Luka Doncic, they have become synonymous with elite basketball. Then, when Kyrie Irving joined, they became NBA title contenders. Their WNBA counterparts have not been mentioned in the same breath, until Paige Bueckers started trending with the Dallas Wings.
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as a backcourt duo went all the way to the NBA Finals last season. This season, they aim to do one better after adding in Klay Thompson. If they do, they will add to the lone championship the team has from 2011. But at least the franchise is known to play competitive basketball.
On the other hand, Dallas Wings have not made it to the WNBA finals in their eight years of existence. Last season saw them finish with their worst record yet despite having big players like WNBA All-Star game MVP Arike Ogunbowale and German superstar Satou Sabally.
That 9-31 record, though, helped them be a part of the lottery for the 2025 WNBA Draft. With a combined 45.4% chance, they won the lottery netting them the first overall pick. This means they will very likely be after Paige Bueckers, who will be joining the Dallas Wings next season.
Rumors are aplenty suggesting free agent Satou Sabally, who could look to sign elsewhere. This leaves Bueckers to form a new duo with Ogunbowale. The tandem will have a lot of similarities with their NBA counterparts.
THE DALLAS WINGS WILL HAVE THE NO. 1 PICK IN THE 2025 WNBA DRAFT‼️
Paige Bueckers is the projected No. 1 overall pick in ESPN’s latest mock draft. pic.twitter.com/GIxvecs3ZX
— ESPN (@espn) November 17, 2024
Ogunbowale is akin to being a score first guard like Irving and Bueckers is a playmaker who can jump into a role similar to what Doncic does for the Dallas Mavericks. The firepower those two women bring should help the Dallas Wings come to the forefront.
Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark to resume college rivalry next season
As soon as the 2024 WNBA season ended, fans and mock drafts saw the Los Angeles Sparks to be the ones landing Paige Bueckers. That could have had a monumental shift to the dynamics of the league as she could have teamed up with Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson to form a dynamic young trio.
But the fact that the Dallas Wings are in a position to get her makes the future of the WNBA slightly more interesting. As of now, the balance of power is distributed as the Wings come into the picture as another team with one of the golden generation college hoopers in their squad.
This also means the future of the WNBA could see the East and the West battling between these young stars. Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are the stars of the East, whereas Brink and Bueckers will likely headline the West.
That could see Clark resume her battle with the UConn star after her Iowa Hawkeyes booted them out of last season’s Final Four game. The WNBA is shaping up to have an exciting time ahead with these young stars and their millions of followers tagging along.
