Wings fire Chris Koclanes: Team moves on from coach after one season as it builds around Paige Bueckers

The Dallas Wings have fired coach Chris Koclanes after just one season, the team announced, quickly putting an end to a disastrous stint that started and ended on equally poor footing despite the addition of No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers. The Wings went 10-34 in Koclanes' lone season in charge, losing 10 of their first 11 games and then losing 10 of their final 11 games. 

The Wings tied with the Chicago Sky for the worst record in the WNBA, and Dallas allowed the second-most points per game (88.0) in the league, only ahead of the Sparks. Dallas missed the postseason for the second straight season and will now be looking for its third coach since 2020. Koclanes is the fifth consecutive Wings coach to fail to make it more than two seasons.

Expectations in Dallas were at least optimistic entering year after Buckers was taken first overall in 2025 WNBA Draft, pairing her with perennial All-Star Arike Ogunbowale and reigning Most Improved Player DiJonai Carrington. Instead, the Wings got off to a slow start, and Bueckers' concussion didn't help. When the team got healthier, it showed signs of progress, including a 5-2 stretch from mid-June through early July. Ultimately, though, the team did not meld as envisioned. The Wings traded NaLyssa Smith to the Aces in late July and Carrington to the Lynx in early August. The team's frontcourt especially struggled; no player recorded over six rebounds per game.

The Wings do have a franchise cornerstone in Bueckers, the 2025 Rookie of the Year, and will hope to find another in the 2026 WNBA Draft. Dallas has a 40% chance to win the No. 1 pick, best of any team. No date for the lottery has been set due to the labor battle between the WNBA and the WNBPA.