The Dallas Wings open the 2026 WNBA season on the road against the Indiana Fever on Saturday, featuring the regular-season debut of Azzi Fudd. Tipoff from Gainbridge Fieldhouse is scheduled for noon.
Fudd will be one of four number one picks playing. All of the last four number one picks in the WNBA Draft are expected to play. Indiana had two No. 1 overall picks in a row, selecting Aliyah Boston in 2023 and Caitlin Clark in 2024, while Dallas followed the Fever at the top of the last two drafts, selecting Paige
Bueckers No. 1 overall in 2025, then Fudd in April.
Despite Bueckers averaging 19.2 points per game, 5.4 assists per game and 3.9 rebounds per game last year, the Wings finished with a 10-34 record. Dallas has gone a combined 19-65 over the last two seasons.
The Wings’ less-than-stellar 2025 season was similar to the Fever’s season 2023 campaign after Indiana took Boston No. 1 overall.
Boston received the 2023 Rookie of the Year Award after averaging 14.5 points per game, 8.4 total rebounds per game and 2.2 assists per game in her first season. Despite Boston’s performance, the Fever finished the season with a 13-27 record and received the number one pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Indiana used the pick to bring in Clark.
While Clark’s rookie season brought a tidal wave of attention to the WNBA, her entry into the league helped the Fever take the next step on the court as well. Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game, receiving the 2024 Rookie of the Year Award.
Clark’s production alongside Boston, who averaged 14 points per game, 3.2 assists per game and 8.9 total rebounds per game, brought Indiana back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 WNBA season.
Last season, the Fever made the playoffs for the second straight season despite Clark dealing with separate quad and groin injuries. She played in just 13 games last year and averaged 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and five rebounds per game.
Boston played in 44 games last year and averaged 15 points, 3.7 assists and 8.2 rebounds per game, placing her on the All-WNBA Second team. Boston and Clark brought Indiana back to the playoffs, showing the effects of a team having back-to-back number one picks.
Will the Wings in 2026 follow the Fever’s template to their first playoff berth since the 2023 season? Dallas gets a big stage to start the year and showcase their improvement, with ABC handling the broadcast. The Wings handled the Fever, 95-80, in the team’s first of two preseason games on Apr. 30.
The Wings look to replicate the Fever’s success with pairing two number one picks, who already had success together at the University of Connecticut. Bueckers and Fudd were teammates for four seasons at UConn, winning a national championship in the 2024-25 season.
During the championship season, Fudd shot 43.6% from beyond the arc while averaging 13.6 points per game. Bueckers averaged 19.9 points and 4.4 assists per game.
Fudd is expected to help the Wings improve their 3-point percentage as the team shot 30.4% from beyond the arc last season. Bueckers is expected to improve in her second season. She made five of her seven 3-point attempts across two preseason games after shooting just 33.1% from 3-point range during her rookie year.
How to watch
The Wings face the Fever at 12 noon on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
