Dallas Wings Collapse 2-7 Post-All-Star Break as Fudd Out for Season
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- Dallas Wings are 2-7 since the All-Star break and have fallen to 8th place at 20-16, with their first-round opponent currently set to be the league-leading Minnesota Lynx.
- Azzi Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick, will undergo season-ending arthroscopic surgery on her right knee — her fourth surgery on that joint — after the Wings went 19-11 with her and 1-5 without her, including a six-point drop in 3-point shooting and an eight-point drop in rim efficiency.
- Paige Bueckers' fourth-quarter production has cratered from 6.7 points per game on 61.1/46.7/85.7 splits before the break to 4.9 points on 48.4/20/100 splits since, with turnovers rising to seven in 68 minutes during the slump.
- Dallas is 6-15 against other playoff opponents this season and 0-7 against top-eight teams during this stretch, including 0-4 versus the Lynx and 0-3 versus the Valkyries, underscoring a fatal inability to beat contenders heading into the postseason.
- Coach Jose Fernandez raised eyebrows by singling out Awak Kuier after an Aug. 14 loss — calling her stats a 'good opportunity to go to Golden State' despite Kuier being a team-best minus-one — while Alanna Smith deflected a lineup question postgame by saying 'we just do what we're instructed,' suggesting locker-room frustration.
Why it matters: The Wings will almost certainly make the playoffs for the first time since 2023, but their 0-7 record against top-eight teams since the All-Star break and the loss of Fudd — their best 3-point shooter and most important spacer for Bueckers — make a postseason run against a likely Minnesota Lynx matchup nearly impossible without a dramatic reversal in Bueckers' late-game form.
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