DHJ Quick Take
- The Strategic Gambit: Protecting Arike Ogunbowale isn’t just about loyalty; it’s about asset management. Leaving her exposed to Portland or Toronto results in losing a franchise cornerstone for zero return.
- The “Unifier” Dynamic: GM Curt Miller and Coach Jose Fernandez view the pairing of Paige Bueckers and Ogunbowale as a long-term project, with Bueckers acting as a “unifier” and Arike as a veteran recruiting force.
- CBA Leverage: A specific service-year wrinkle in the new CBA makes Ogunbowale a unique expansion target, further incentivizing Dallas to keep the decision-making power in their own front office.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings have a call to make on Arike Ogunbowale before Friday’s expansion draft, and getting it wrong costs them more than a roster spot.
She is an unrestricted free agent; the new CBA has opened a market that will make retaining a player of her talent expensive, and the franchise is building around Paige Bueckers. Some people think Dallas should just step aside and let Portland or Toronto make the call for them to fully embrace a youth-focused rebuild.
Simply put — don’t do it.
The Value of Keeping Control
Many national analysts rank Ogunbowale as the top available player in the entire expansion pool.
She is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, a four-time All-Star, coming off an injury-impacted 2025 season in which she averaged 15.6 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.3 steals. She remains a dynamic shot creator who commands significant attention from defenses.
Portland would almost certainly take her with the first overall expansion pick if she is available. The moment that happens, Dallas walks away with nothing. No assets, no negotiating leverage, no sign-and-trade. Just an empty slot where their most recognizable player, aside from Bueckers, once stood.
Protecting Ogunbowale costs the Wings a protection spot but preserves every path forward. Whether she stays in Dallas or not, protected status means the decision stays in Dallas’ hands.
Path One: Arike Ogunbowale Stays
General manager Curt Miller made his stance on Ogunbowale clear during an exclusive interview with Dallas Hoops Journal in August, which outlined exactly how the front office views her role in the franchise’s future.
“Paige wants to be involved in recruiting players to Dallas,” Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Arike also initiates free agency conversations with me. It’s exciting that your two best players consistently want to talk future. She’ll pick up the phone and call me — ‘What about so-and-so?’ I think she’s been through the good times, she’s been through some of the building years. She means a lot to this franchise, and she means a lot to me personally. We’re really excited about Arike. Since the All-Star break, you see the way she and Paige communicate. You can hear them speaking the same language. That’s been exciting for us.”
That buy-in from a front office does not evaporate after one difficult season. Miller also described Bueckers in terms that make Ogunbowale’s presence even more valuable, not less.
“Paige will be a unifier, someone players want to play with,” Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Our young core will make us attractive, too. Players will see these young, great teammates and think, ‘That’s our second unit, I want to be a part of that.'”
Building a Backcourt Project in The Fernandez Era
Head coach Jose Fernandez echoed that sentiment when discussing both players during his appearance on “In Case You Missed It with Khristina Williams.” He did not frame the Bueckers-Ogunbowale pairing as a problem to be solved. He framed it as a project worth investing in.
“You have someone like Arike that’s been an All-Star, right? Leading scorer in the Wings organization,” Fernandez said. “What’s left for Arike to do here with the Dallas Wings is win a championship. Paige and Arike, they are exceptional guards that can create off the bounce. They both can shoot the three. They can get to the free-throw line. It’s them understanding how they’re going to be utilized, and there’s got to be great communication between me and my staff and both of them on where they feel comfortable on the floor.”
The fit, being a work in progress in its first year, was valid, but they also lacked an experienced coach. Chris Koclanes was a first-year head coach who didn’t bring the understanding that Jose Fernandez has gained through 25 years of head-coaching experience managing complex offensive systems at the University of South Florida.
The relationship between Bueckers and Ogunbowale also reflects something that does not show up on a stat sheet. At the DICK’S House of Sport grand opening in Dallas last September, where the two coached a youth three-on-three clinic together, Ogunbowale was direct about what she witnessed from Bueckers.
“Regardless of the record, she did exactly what she was supposed to do and then some,” Ogunbowale told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Having a great rookie season like that is hard, especially on a team that’s not really winning. She showed up every day, did the work, and she’s going to be great in this league for a long time.”
She also spoke candidly about where their partnership stands.
“It grew every day,” Ogunbowale told Dallas Hoops Journal. “I think off-court helps because we get along so well. She’s cool people — we love being around each other, having fun with each other — and that’s going to transfer to the court when we figure it out.”
Bueckers was equally direct about what Ogunbowale has meant to her development.
“We’ve grown a lot throughout the entire year, and we have a great relationship where we can talk to each other about anything and help each other be better,” Bueckers told Dallas Hoops Journal. “She’s a great vet to have. I’ve learned a lot from her. She’s been a great support system and embraced me, helping me be my most confident self.”
Losing that doesn’t get replaced with a new face in the locker room. And Fernandez needs that existing trust as he puts in a new system around a player still in her second year.
The ‘Second Home’ Factor and Free Agency Recruiting
Ogunbowale said it herself at the same event. The Dallas area quickly became home after being drafted. She’s built a strong relationship with the Wings fanbase throughout her tenure.
“I’ve been here since I was drafted, so it’s like my second home now. I live here. I try to give back to the city what they give to us every night,” Ogunbowale told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Win, lose, or draw, they’re in the stands cheering us on. I just want to be present and show that I appreciate them any way I can.”
Miller spent part of that August conversation explaining the free agent pitch Dallas plans to make this offseason, and Ogunbowale is part of what makes that pitch credible.
“With that many young players in 2026, it opens up so much cap space,” Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal. “That allows you to be really aggressive in a year that free agency has a lot of free agents.”
A roster that just lost a respected franchise icon for nothing is a harder sell than one that chose to keep her.
If the Fit Has Run Its Course
Say Dallas and Ogunbowale both decide it’s time to move on. Protecting her still beats leaving her exposed. A protected Ogunbowale entering free agency is a sign-and-trade candidate. She picks up the phone, finds a landing spot she likes, and Dallas gets something back for facilitating it — picks, players, whatever the market gives them.
That only works if she’s protected. Portland takes her Friday otherwise, and Dallas gets a thank-you note.
The CBA Wrinkle Worth Knowing
Under the new CBA, players with seven or more years of WNBA service cannot be designated as Core Players beginning in 2027. Drafted in 2019, Ogunbowale has seven years of service going into this season. Any expansion team selecting her gets supermax negotiating rights for 2026 only.
Portland and Toronto are building from scratch. The supermax has to matter more than just one season. That reality makes Ogunbowale a slightly less viable expansion target than her talent level alone would suggest. The calculus shifts just enough that protecting her isn’t wasting a slot on someone who was going to walk anyway.
That reality makes Ogunbowale a slightly less attractive expansion target than her talent level alone would suggest, which is another reason Dallas protecting her is the right call.
The Bottom Line
With all factors considered, including Arike Ogunbowale on the protected players list, the Wings maintain the necessary control of what happens next.
Whether the Wings re-sign her under Fernandez and give the pairing a real chance with an experienced head coach and perhaps more veterans in the supporting cast, or facilitate a sign-and-trade, protection preserves both outcomes.
More Wings & WNBA Coverage on Dallas Hoops Journal
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- ‘She’s A Connector’: Dallas Wings Star Paige Bueckers Was Given Key Team USA Advice By Sue Bird
- ‘We Have A Chip On Our Shoulder’: Dallas Wings Star Paige Bueckers Shares Goals For USA Basketball Senior Debut
- Paige Bueckers Says Jose Fernandez ‘Has A Good Plan’ For The Dallas Wings
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