DHJ Quick Take: The Roster Architecture
- Frontcourt Shift: Dallas waived Rayah Marshall after her preseason debut and less than a month after acquiring her in the Diamond Miller trade. This leaves the frontcourt depth chart to Alanna Smith, Jessica Shepard, Awak Kuier, and Li Yueru.
- Backcourt Trim: The team moved on from veteran guards Lindsay Allen and Grace Berger. These cuts solidify a guard depth chart centered on Arike Ogunbowale, Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, JJ Quinerly, Aziaha James, and Odyssey Sims.
- Final Bubble Moves: Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, Amy Okonkwo, and Costanza Verona were waived to meet the 12-player limit.
ARLINGTON, Texas — The Dallas Wings reduced their roster to 12 players ahead of Sunday’s regular season opener, parting ways with six players in the final wave of training camp cuts ahead of Friday’s season opener at the Indiana Fever.
The Wings waived Rayah Marshall, Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, Amy Okonkwo, Grace Berger, Lindsay Allen, and Costanza Verona, leaving Dallas with a roster that pairs a returning young core with a heavy offseason investment in veteran experience.
Dallas tips off the regular season Friday, May 9, in Indianapolis.
The 12-Player Roster
Dallas returns six guards in Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Arike Ogunbowale, JJ Quinerly, Aziaha James, and Odyssey Sims. Maddy Siegrist and Alysha Clark are listed at forward and wing, while Awak Kuier, Jessica Shepard, Alanna Smith, and Li Yueru make up the frontcourt rotation.
The group blends returning young talent in Bueckers, Fudd, James, Quinerly, and Siegrist with a wave of veteran additions made during the offseason.
Smith signed a three-year max contract as the centerpiece of the Wings’ free agency class. Shepard joined on a multi-year deal after leading the WNBA in field goal percentage with the Minnesota Lynx in 2025.
Sims signed in February as a veteran point guard, and three-time WNBA champion Clark was added in the offseason. Kuier returned to the franchise after three seasons in Europe.
Sunday’s Waives
Marshall, the 25th overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft out of USC, arrived in Dallas as part of the offseason trade that sent Diamond Miller to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Marshall and a 2026 first-round pick. She made her Wings debut Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces after clearing concussion protocol earlier in the day, then was waived later that night.
Verona signed with Dallas amid her championship season with Beretta Famila Schio in Italy, where she was teammates with Shepard. Allen signed with Dallas in the offseason and made her preseason debut Thursday against the Fever after carrying a probable tag with a right hamstring designation.
Fankam Mendjiadeu had impressed in her Wings debut against the Fever, posting 8 points and 3 rebounds on 4-for-7 shooting in just under 12 minutes. The 6-foot-5 forward, a 2025 third-round pick out of Fernandez at South Florida, joined Dallas after winning a Serbian Cup with Crvena Zvezda.
Okonkwo played 10 minutes Thursday against the Fever and went 0-for-2 from the field with 2 rebounds and a steal in roster-bubble audition minutes. Berger, a 2023 second-round pick, contributed 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in 14 minutes off the bench Thursday, going 1-for-2 from 3-point range. Both players joined the Wings last season as injuries piled up.
A Roster Built for May 9
Bueckers, the 2025 WNBA All-Star, is paired in the backcourt with Fudd, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft. James returns for her second season after a 17-point performance in the preseason opener. Sims provides veteran point guard play, and Quinerly returned to game action Sunday after recovering from October knee surgery.
The frontcourt brings size and shooting. Smith, the 2025 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, is the centerpiece. Shepard adds interior efficiency and playmaking after leading the WNBA in field goal percentage last season. Kuier returns from a championship-caliber Euroleague campaign with Galatasaray, where she led the league in blocks. Siegrist’s offensive rebounding motor anchored an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double in the preseason opener, and Yueru provides a combination of size and shooting. Clark adds veteran experience on the wing.
WNBA teams can carry up to two players on development spots in addition to the 12-player active roster. Those players do not count against the active cap and can be elevated when needed. The Wings did not make any development-spot signings as of the roster announcement.
Up Next
Head coach Jose Fernandez identified Tuesday’s practice as the start of the team’s regular-season preparation following Sunday’s preseason finale.
Dallas opens the regular season Friday, May 9, in Indianapolis against the Indiana Fever.
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