The 2026 WNBA season has to be considered a success for the Dallas Wings as far as on-court performance goes. The team went from the worst in the league in 2025 to a playoff team in 2026. It won a playoff game. It learned that a Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale pairing actually can work, even if there are still some questions there. At the same time, there are people who think Dallas might have gone all in on trying to contend a season too early, preventing the team from getting one more needed long-term building block in its pursuit of immediate success.
But hey, there's no use thinking about that now. The team clearly wants to build a contender, and these current Wings players are unlikely to be back in 2027 due to that being the team's primary goal.
Alanna Smith
Let's just get the big one out of the way here. Alana Smith is the highest-paid player on the Dallas roster (tied with Ogunbowale), and if the team wants to build a viable contender in 2027, it needs to get off of that contract. Smith's first season with the team was a failure, and the best thing to do here is to move on. There are definitely going to be teams around the league that show interest in the 2025 Defensive Player of the Year.
Smith hasn't lived up to expectations in Dallas. Her numbers were down across the board in 2026, and her block total dropping from 1.9 per game last season to just 0.5 this season is probably the biggest concern. The other frontcourt spot in Dallas is occupied by Jessica Shepard, a really fascinating playmaker on offense who also happens to be arguably the worst rim-protecting big in the league. You need someone beside her who can block shots. Dallas assumed Smith could be that, but she wasn't in 2026.
Moving on from Smith also opens up cap space for the Wings to do something that feels like a necessity at this point: extending Awak Kuier. It took a bit for head coach Jose Fernandez to figure out how to use her, but once he did, she provided a huge boost to the team. Kuier is an athletic big who can defend the paint but can also step out and guard on the perimeter if needed, and she uses her athleticism well on the offensive end, even if there are still some things that need refinement. The Wings almost certainly have to pick between Smith and Kuier, and when you can get the more productive player for cheaper, it's a bit of a no-brainer. This would also open up cap room to go after another starter-level player in free agency.
Maddy Siegrist
Maddy Siegrist looked to be figuring things out in 2025, but her production took a major hit in 2026, with her scoring average dropping from 12.7 points per game down to 6.5 points per game. She also shot a career-low 47.7 percent from the floor, though she did finally figure some things out as a shooter, knocking down 42.2 percent of her 3-point attempts.
But the improved efficiency from deep isn't enough to keep her in Dallas. Siegrist, who arrived in Dallas after being a high-volume player at Villanova, just hasn't lived up to expectations, with her often struggling to work in a lower-usage role in the pro game. Sure, the Wings could bring her back for depth, but what's the point of that at this stage?
Siegrist needs to go sign with a rebuilding team where she can get consistent minutes and start to prove she belongs in this league. Dallas used to be the place for that, but it isn't now. The Wings can find bench wing depth on the free-agent market that they can actually rely on.
Odyssey Sims
Early in the 2026 season, Odyssey Sims looked like a major get for the Wings. She allowed them to move Bueckers off the ball more and provided solid point guard minutes. But once it became clear that Azzi Fudd needed to start, Sims was moved to the bench. She played just 12.7 minutes per game in the team's playoff series against the Valkyries, and while she remains a solid ball-handling option, the Wings seem likely to pursue a different option at the backup point guard spot, if for no other reason than that the team will want someone younger than Sims.
This is especially true if the Wings commit to continuing the Bueckers-Ogunbowale-Fudd starting unit. By putting Bueckers at the point full time, the Wings don't neccesarily need Sims. They could look for someone who they can develop in case Ogunbowale eventually departs in a future free agency cycle, someone who could play the point if the team moves Bueckers back to the two. There should be a few players like that available in free agency, or the team could draft someone.
This isn't to say that Sims doesn't reappear on this roster at some point in 2027. If no other team signs here, she's someone who probably gets a midseason look after an injury. It's just that the Wings don't need to open 2027 with Sims as part of the plan.
Alysha Clark
Alysha Clark did a great job in the playoffs, as the veteran wing played 25.1 minutes per game and averaged 9.3 points per game on 81.8 percent shooting. It was a real "turning back the clock" moment for Clark, but that's also a big part of why she won't be back in 2027: for much of the regular season, it looked like time had caught up to Clark.
In 30 regular season games, Clark averaged 2.6 points per game in 11.4 minutes per night. The minutes were her fewest since her rookie season in 2012. While Dallas got a postseason boost from her play, Clark is going to turn 40 next July. For a team that really needs solid wing depth, relying on a 40-year-old who barely saw the floor in the regular season seems like a mistake.
It's been a great career for Clark, but it's just not clear that she can be trusted at this stage. Her returning to Dallas feels like a last-ditch thing for the team to do if they strike out on other attempts to upgrade their depth, and that's assuming that Clark doesn't opt to retire this offseason, something that has to be considered based on her age.
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