Paige Bueckers timidly unwrapped a gift from Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert on Monday afternoon before unveiling her very own 10-gallon hat.
She put it on her head — backward at first before being corrected — for a photo op with the four other 2025 Wings draftees who received the same cowboy hats.
Welcome to Dallas, Paige.
Monday was another of what general manager Curt Miller is calling “momentum-building moments” in this new, refreshing era of the Dallas Wings.
For years, Dallas has been in dire need of a systemic overhaul. It’s been a place marquee free agents have largely ignored and several of the league’s stars — including Skylar Diggins-Smith, Liz Cambage, Allisha Gray and, most recently, Satou Sabally — have forced their way out of.
The hope, though, is that those days of being a league afterthought are over.
The transition to relevance started in November, with the hiring of Miller, and has been rapidly expedited with the Wings winning the No. 1 pick in the WNBA lottery.
Despite reports that Bueckers may refuse to play in Dallas, Miller said he never had a sliver of a doubt that the former UConn star would be on his team this season.
Bueckers and those around her made it clear that she wanted to focus on winning a national championship this past season with the Huskies and wouldn’t entertain conversations about her WNBA future.
“We respected that, we respected the process and were patient along the way,” Miller said. “And we knew that everything was trending positively and appreciated that there was that respect back and forth.”
Bueckers had brief but reassuring conversations with the Wings before she heard her name called as the No. 1 pick at last week’s draft.
She was heartened to learn of the franchise’s new direction and future plans.
“We’re just looking to be a big-name organization and be a winning organization,” Bueckers said. “Continue to build off each other, continue to build off the momentum of women’s sports and the wave that’s been created.”
The Wings currently play and practice at College Park Center, the home arena of the University of Texas at Arlington. But the team has plans to relocate to downtown Dallas next year. After the move, the Wings will play games at a recently renovated arena at the city’s convention center. They also plan to open a state-of-the-art performance facility, worth at least $54 million.
With facility upgrades on the horizon and a productive offseason, the Wings not only have optimism but momentum for the future.
College Park Center. NBAE via Getty Images
For this season, Miller has constructed a roster that blends established veterans such as Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington, Tyasha Harris and NaLyssa Smith with rookies including Bueckers, Aziaha James and Madison Scott.
“Can’t wait to support the coaching staff on the style of play that they will bring to Dallas … the exciting belief that there’s so much unselfishness now in the locker room,” Miller said. “So just truly excited about this foundation year, and when we say foundation there’s still no limits on what this group can do. But we understand that there are a lot of new pieces laying together and it will take time to mesh and build together.”
Moving forward, Bueckers is certainly the cornerstone of the Wings. Her charisma and talent made her a beloved icon at UConn. She seems destined for superstar status now in the WNBA.
Keeping her happy and building around her will be key for the Wings to be successful with the franchise’s reconstruction.
Dallas did a lot of good things this offseason to get the ball rolling. But only time will tell whether Miller’s vision will come to fruition.
“We are trying to create a player-first environment and attract future players to want to come and stay in Dallas,” Miller said. “And through free agency, through trades, we have accomplished a lot of our goals in bringing in great, great players, but more importantly great players that other people around the league would want to play with.”
Bueckers wants the same for the Wings, too.
“I’m not really huge on metric but just the people, the culture … Dallas becoming a place where everybody wants to play and everyone who is here wants to stay,” Bueckers said when asked what could be a marker for the team’s success this season. “So just building a foundation of really enjoying being around each other, enjoying playing together, enjoying being together off the court, on the court, in all aspects.”
