The Dallas Wings have taken a completely new direction this season after managing just 10 wins last year. With new head coach Jose Fernandez at the helm and the addition of Azzi Fudd, there’s renewed hope that things will look very different this time around. But to have a good season, tough decisions need to be made, and the Wings are already doing just that.

Recently, the Wings announced on X that they have waived formidable collegiate picks Zee Spearman and Kyla Oldacre from their training camp roster. “Thank you, Zee 💙. The Dallas Wings have waived forward Zee Spearman,” the post read. “Thank you, Kyla 💙. The Dallas Wings have waived center Kyla Oldacre,” remarked another post.

Going into the camp with 22 players, it was quite certain that the Wings would need to make some massive cuts to their roster. But it wasn’t expected that they would do it even before the team had played its first preseason games. Furthermore, both Oldacre and Spearman have been seasoned campaigners at the collegiate level, making their decision all the more eyebrow-raising.

Oldacre, a 6’6 center who was picked on a training camp contract by the Wings. She built a good reputation as a formidable rebounder and a volume scorer on occasion. In her four-year collegiate career, she has averaged 7.6 ppg, shooting 58% and 5.2 rebounds per game. And quite naturally, it’s quite certain that the Wings brought in Oldacre for a similar post-presence.

Unfortunately, the former Texas guard was recovering from an injury and couldn’t contribute much to training camp. Meanwhile, Spearman was supposed to be one of their steals from the draft. The Wings picked her in the third round as the 31st overall pick. A formidable frontcourt player who contributes in both rebounding and scoring, Spearman could have been a valuable addition to the Wings team.

She has reinforced her strengths time and time again in her collegiate teams: Miami and Tennessee, scoring 10.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in her final season for the Lady Volunteers. For a team that struggled with size last year, adding Spearman felt like a major boost. And who could forget that statement win over UConn in February, last year?

You could still argue it stands as Kim Caldwell’s biggest win to date. Leading the charge was Spearman, who put up 16 points and seven rebounds, including the game-clinching bucket.

Even in the Dallas Wings training camp, Spearman was navigating her way pretty well. Her early sessions showcased her skillset perfectly even though she was trying to cope with the physicality at this level.

“I think the first day. The physicality got me, I can’t lie. Somebody hit me in the stomach and I said, ‘Okay, they’re a little strong out here,” she said. “But I kept my feet, kept playing through it. I couldn’t show that it really got me. I had to keep going.”

But immediately after, Spearman was cut off from the Wings roster. But it isn’t the end of the road for these players in the season. Both Zee Spearman and Kyla Oldacre can sign with any WNBA team. And notably, can even fill the team’s developmental roster spots if they clear waivers. With both Oldacre and Spearman out of the roster, Fudd remains the only college pick in the Wings roster for now.

Furthermore, with a reliable center and forward now off the roster, the Dallas Wings are left with limited depth at those positions. Which raises an obvious question, why would the Wings let these players go in the first place?

Well, coach Jose Fernandez made it pretty clear that balancing perimeter and post needs was the lens he was using to evaluate the final cuts. “You’ve got to have a good balance between your perimeter needs and your post needs, especially in those final roster spots and the two developmental spots,” Fernandez had said.

Accordingly, changes have already begun, with the Wings announcing earlier this week that they have waived Shyanne Sellers and Grace Sullivan.

Sellers arrived in Dallas after being selected 17th overall by the Golden State Valkyries in the 2025 WNBA Draft out of University of Maryland. Her path since then hasn’t been straightforward, with training camp stints at both the Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream before being waived ahead of the 2025 season. But this isn’t just another fringe player story.

Sellers was a consistent standout at Maryland, earning First Team All-Big Ten honors from 2023 to 2025, a spot on the All-Big Ten Defensive Team in 2023, and Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year in 2022.

Grace Sullivan has a similar story too. Her professional journey began as an undrafted rookie in the 2026 WNBA Draft, but her college numbers show just how much potential she has.

As a senior, the 6-foot-4 forward put up career-best numbers, averaging 21.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 0.8 blocks per game. Those performances earned her Second Team All-Big Ten honors from the media and Third Team recognition from the coaches. She also finished the 2025–26 season ranked fourth in the Big Ten and 13th nationally in scoring.

Yet even those numbers weren’t enough for either of them to hold onto a roster spot with the Wings.

We also need to remember that Jessica Shepard, Arike Ogunbowale, Costanza Verona, and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu are yet to return from international commitments. When they do, they’ll likely take up roster spots as well. And that’s just the reality of the WNBA, you can’t carry a large squad.

After the new WNBA CBA introduced developmental spots, teams can now carry up to 14 players. But even that doesn’t offer much room. The Dallas Wings still have some tough calls to make, and more cuts feel inevitable before the season begins. It’ll be interesting to see who manages to hold onto a roster spot.

As the Wings approach their preseason business in a full-fledged fashion, the team also has a few positives to hold on to from their training camp.

Paige Bueckers and Aziaha James Impress in Dallas Wings Training Camp

While the Wings are expected to continue waiving more players to finalize their roster before May 7, their few undeniable constants, like Paige Bueckers and Aziaha James, are doing pretty well in the camp. Bueckers is already establishing herself as a vocal locker room leader for the team.

The Wings’ backcourt player has herself clarified that she’s trying to set an example for the team. “I hold myself to the highest standard,” Bueckers had said. “I’m really my toughest critic. So, to be able to know that and hold high, I hold my standard. That’s how I want to be in the Dallas Wings

As a result, Bueckers has been firmly competitive in practice from an on-court perspective. Additionally, she is also expected to be at the helm of tactical decisions. According to reports, Fernandez is also exploring a scheme that would not restrict Bueckers in that perimeter-volume scoring role. Rather, he also wants her to get involved off the ball, create space, and use her physicality to screen opposition players.

On the other hand, James has delivered a strong defensive performance in training camp. Head coach Jose Fernandez himself has shed light on James’ momentum in this training camp. “She’s electric in the open floor,” Fernandez said. “Now it’s about spacing and putting her right positions in the halfcourt.”

Bueckers and James’ momentum in camp is a major silver lining for the Wings as they head into the preseason games and the regular season. After all, they will form the main core of the franchise along with Arike Ogunbowale and Alanna Smith. Their No.1 pick from the 2026 WNBA Draft, Azzi Fudd, is doing pretty well, too.

The former UConn guard isn’t as seamless as we expect from her. But reports have it that she’s taking some pretty decent shots from beyond the arc to impress the Wings management. The Dallas Wings will have the best opportunity to put this to the test during the preseason. Their first is on April 30 (Thursday) against the Indiana Fever, a team that thrashed the New York Liberty in their first practice game.