The Dallas Wings have the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft, and their newly minted General Manager Curt Miller is ready to win. The former head coach now turned full-time front office executive for the Wings has a lot of disgruntled and emotional basketball fans in Dallas to please this summer after the way the Mavericks season has gone. But with the premature departure of one generational basketball player in Luka Doncic, the era of the city’s next generational basketball is about to begin.
Unless something groundbreaking happens between now and Monday, the obvious choice for Dallas will be to draft Paige Bueckers first overall out of UConn. The former Freshman of the Year, National Player of the Year, and now National Champion is a generational talent who has the ability to turn the Wings into a playoff organization — immediately. That is exactly what Miller expressed the desire for in a press conference held by the WNBA Thursday as all four lottery team’s general managers spoke to the media.
“Winners are important to us,” Miller said in response to a question on what the Wings have prioritized in the offseason. “Through our trades we added numerous collegiate national champions, or at minimum, (players who) competed in the Final Fours at the collegiate level. We also added WNBA Champions.”
The Wings were extremely active in free agency, not moving their No. 1 overall pick but still being able to bring in DiJonai Carrington, NaLyssa Smith, Ty Harris and Myisha Hines-Allen. They will join Arike Ogunbowale, Maddy Siegrist and Teaira McCowan — the players the Wings retained from the 2024 season. And Dallas will not only draft first, but also have the No. 12 and No. 14 picks as well — picks that Miller said could make the opening day roster, which he thinks makes his team uniquely attractive for rookies.
“You would want to hear your name if you’re in [the late first round or early second round range] for Dallas, because there is absolutely a legitimate chance to make our opening day roster,” he noted, adding, “that’s not the case around the league.”
“So we’ve invested a lot of time on preparing to pick 12 and 14, and we’re excited about it,” he ended.
That leaves the Dallas Wings with a core of veteran winners, a generational No. 1 overall pick, and the chance to add some impactful rookie development projects to their roster. That is especially important going into next season’s free agency, given most of the players in the league will be free agents. With the CBA expiring after this season, players were sure to negotiate contracts that also expired this season, ensuring that when they sign ahead of next season, they will do so under the terms of the upcoming, expected-to-be-more-player-friendly CBA.
The only hope teams have of retaining players on these current contracts is to draft them now and keep them into next year. These draft picks may end up being the future cores of certain teams.
But for this season, Miller knows eyes will be on his organization. Not only locally from fans hoping to distract themselves from the plight of their NBA team’s decisions in 2025, but Dallas is also prepared for national attention. Expect games to be moved to bigger venues and more media attention to come as Bueckers brings her throngs of loyal fans with her to the organization.
That comes with a lot of pressure to win, which is why Miller said that was the buzzword for his front office this winter. Yet, there is also more pressure to make sure players are protected as they continue to gain popularity and fame.
“We all took notice around our league [the need for] something as simple as security for our players and how to navigate the increased viewership, the increased fandom,” Miller said. “Our players deserve to be protected and amplified at the same time, really taken care of. Our job all around the league is to create an incredible environment for these players.”
That’s become a priority in the league as there have been several instances of players needing extra protection already. A man plead guilty to stalking charges earlier this year when he traveled cross country to “give Paige Bueckers an engagement ring” after posting about doing so several times on social media. He must abide by a protective order in place until 2064. As part of his sentence, he is not allowed to enter the state of Connecticut or enter any facility where WNBA games or practices are held.
Enhanced security was also needed last season when fans where trying to approach both Caitlin Clark and Brittney Griner at airports. Soon after, the WNBA approved chartered flights for the entire league — something the players had been advocating for over many years. They cited both safety concerns as well as performance concerns after teams continuously experienced airline delays and cancellations during shortened WNBA seasons.
So as the Dallas Wings try to keep up with these other successful WNBA teams, growing a winning culture is being prioritized. They got the nod from the basketball gods in getting that No. 1 pick, and now they’ll try to put in the work to make the most out of their luck. They’ll also have to do a better job than their NBA counterpart team of keeping their superstar in Dallas long enough to win a championship, but given how far down in hell the Mavs left that bar, Miller should be set to clear it.
