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UConn connection plays role in Dallas Wings' decision for No. 1 overall pick

The Dallas Wings could take another UConn guard to team up with Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft.

Jeremy Brener

UConn guard Paige Bueckers signs autographs after their game at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
UConn guard Paige Bueckers signs autographs after their game at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. / Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Dallas Wings are pondering who to take with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft after the franchise won the lottery for a second straight year.

The Wings are mulling between a few players, including UConn guard Azzi Fudd. Bleacher Report writer Erik Beaston explained why the Wings should choose Fudd with their top pick.

"An elite shooter, she is knocking down 46.8 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc. She is turning the ball over at a rate unfamiliar to her (2.4 per game), but she is a workhorse (30.2 minutes a night) and her offense makes up for it," Beaston wrote.

"While there are potentially better players than her who could be the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, a reunion with Bueckers and a Dallas team built around them and their offense would immediately improve the Wings and give them a chance to score on any team.

"More importantly, it would provide one of the faces of the league a familiar teammate with whom she has instant chemistry and the ability to immediately improve upon Dallas' disappointing 2025 campaign."

READ MORE: Making the case for Wings to pair Paige Bueckers with talented athlete in 2026 Draft

UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd returns the ball against the Florida State Seminoles
UConn Huskies guard Azzi Fudd returns the ball against the Florida State Seminoles. / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Fudd could team up with Paige Bueckers in Dallas

The Wings already have a good track record picking UConn guards after taking Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick last year. Now, the Wings could capitalize on reuniting the couple and backcourt together again in the pros in Dallas.

It could be a mistake passing up on centers Awa Fam and Lauren Betts, both of whom could have an immediate impact in the post, but the chemistry Bueckers and Fudd would have out of the gates would give the Wings a chance to be competitive right out of the gates as they try to escape the lottery.

The WNBA Draft is scheduled for April 2026.

READ MORE: No. 1 pick gives Dallas Wings chance to give Paige Bueckers her running mate

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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