José Fernández knows Paige Bueckers well. As a coach in South Florida, Fernández faced the three-time All-American during her outstanding career at UConn. In addition, Fernández has maintained a friendship with Bueckers’ former coach at UConn, Geno Auriemma. Now, Bueckers, the first overall pick of the Dallas Wings this year, and Fernández, who was officially introduced as the new head coach of the Wings, will join forces in the professional arena with the hope of bringing Dallas back into contention for the playoffs and, ultimately, competing for a championship.
The Wings have resurfaced with Bueckers, whom Fernández called “one of the faces of the league”, now on the team.This won’t be the same as always in Dallas Wings, my brother. Change is coming and we are going to win.
Fernández, paraphrasing his colleague Amir Abdur-Rahim
Although Dallas finished in last place in 2025 with a 10-34 record, Bueckers dazzled as the team’s only All-Star, a second-team All-WNBA selection, and Rookie of the Year.
The Wings decided to dispense with first-year head coach Chris Koclanes in September and sought an experienced head coach who was a proven winner with sustained success. The franchise also looked for a new coach who was strong in player development, added general manager Curt Miller, an “innovator” and, if possible, someone with international reach. The Wings have missed the playoffs the last two years and have only advanced past the first round in the postseason once since moving to Dallas from Tulsa in 2016. They have also experienced a lot of turnover, now on their fifth coach in seven years. But with the organization now on the rise, not only with Bueckers on the team, but with an imminent move from Arlington to Dallas and a new practice facility on the way, expectations have never been so high, internally and externally. Dallas was one of the teams that offered a head coaching position to former New York Liberty coach Sandy Brondello, before she ultimately decided to join the Toronto Tempo. Fernández was an attractive choice after turning USF into one of the most consistent and successful mid-major universities in the country, where he ran a pro-style offense with European influences, excelled in international recruiting, and produced dozens of players who went on to play in the WNBA or overseas.Paige is special. Great players want to be coached. She wants to be coached and held accountable. And I think the things we’re going to do in the half-court and in the open court suit her. So I’m really excited to start working with her.
Fernández
While he will have the task of building around Bueckers, there is a lot of uncertainty with the roster beyond that. A two-team expansion draft will be held after the new collective bargaining agreement is completed, and then everyone except two league veterans will be free agents. Dallas also has the best odds of getting the number 1 pick in the next draft lottery. The Wings’ roster is young as it stands: their only players under contract are Bueckers, 2025 draft picks Aziaha James and JJ Quinerly, Maddy Siegrist and Diamond Miller, but Miller said the team will ultimately look to add veterans and more talent while preserving their culture. There will be tremendous collaboration in the decisions around the expansion draft, the decisions around free agency and, ultimately, the decisions we will discover later this month, where we land in the draft.This job wasn’t for everyone. The scrutiny, the expectation that comes now with the job in Dallas is extremely high, and that scared people. And what I loved about [José is] that it didn’t scare him, in fact it motivated him, José in our conversations.
Miller
