The 2026 WNBA Draft Lottery is out, and Maddy Siegrist proved to be a lucky charm. With her as the team’s representative, Wings secured the No. 1 overall pick for the second time.  Now the focus is turned toward the draft projections. And it turns out projections are leaning in their favor, too. That’s because once the draft order was settled, the entire outlook had shifted, too. 

According to ESPN’s updated WNBA 2026 draft projections, UConn sharpshooter Azzi Fudd has elevated to the No. 1 spot. A couple of days ago, she was at No. 4. But after the Wings secured the first pick, everything changed. But the rise itself wasn’t tied to the draft. It came from her dominant showing against Michigan. It came up in the third quarter, when Michigan rallied with a 13–0 run to cut UConn’s lead to 49–45 heading into the fourth. At once, it looked like the Huskies would lose. 

“That third quarter, looking at this box score, seeing that we scored four points. It felt like that, but that is not OK… It felt like we weren’t focused on defense,” Fudd said in the postgame press conference. And then, Fudd responded instantly. She took the game into her hands and drilled a three to open the fourth quarter. It was followed by her own 9–0 run, pushing UConn back into a double-digit lead. 

The final minutes turned into a back-and-forth duel with Syla Swords, but Fudd stayed calm. She hit all her free throws-four of them in the last 20 seconds-and added two more buckets to seal it. She finished with 31 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. She knocked down seven threes and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the line in crunch time. That performance alone put a spotlight on her.

Even Geno Auriemma couldn’t hold back praise. As he said, “Azzi’s the one. We know if we get her enough touches, something is going to happen.” Fudd’s return has been huge for the Huskies as they adjust to playing without Paige Bueckers. She’s guiding sophomore Sarah Strong while shining individually. Notably, in back-to-back wins over Michigan and Utah, she scored 55 points on 58.1% shooting. Through six games, she’s averaging 21 points, shooting 51.1% overall, and 54.8% from three. She didn’t just earn that bump in ESPN’s projections-she demanded it. But….

What Would Adding Fudd Mean for the Dallas Wings?

We’ve seen this blueprint before. The Indiana Fever landed consecutive No. 1 picks in 2023 and 2024, and it transformed the franchise. Those two players turned the Fever into a legitimate threat and carried them to their first playoff appearance since 2015. For the Wings-fresh off a 10–34 season and tied for the league’s worst record-this could be the same kind of turning point.

After all, Fudd is also Paige Bueckers’ longtime teammate. Also, Dallas isn’t new to pairing couples on the roster. Former players, Nalyssa Smith and Dijonai Carrington, were examples of how strong chemistry can elevate the entire team. And with PB and Fudd already proving their winning formula at UConn-guiding the Huskies to the 2025 national title-their partnership could translate to the pros.

So, adding Fudd would be a major step forward. She scores, she creates, she plays with efficiency, and she elevates the players around her. Pairing her with PB again could reshape Dallas’ identity overnight. Especially since the Wings have also hired longtime Florida coach Jose Fernandez to replace Chris Koclanes after a disappointing season. Even he had made his intentions clear at his introductory press conference: “This won’t be the same old Dallas Wings. Change is coming, and we’re gonna win.”

And he might be right. The team now holds the No. 1 pick and has more than nine players hitting free agency. Well, considering the current scenario, where W is undergoing a transformational phase and has no CBA in sight despite a year and one month long negotiations, nothing is certain. So this could be the start of a completely new era for the Dallas Wings.