The Dallas Wings might be stepping into full-time Cupid mode when the draft night arrives, reuniting Paige Bueckers with her old UConn partner-in-crime and now confirmed partner in real life: Azzi Fudd. The two kept things quiet through four college seasons, but Bueckers recently told WAG Talk that yes, Azzi is her person and yes, Azzi’s phone case literally claims the title: “Paige Bueckers’s girlfriend.”

So if Dallas wants the cutest draft plotline of the decade, the script is already written; all they have to do is call her name.

Dallas Wings win No. 1 pick: What does it mean for their 2026 draft strategy?

For the second straight spring, the Dallas Wings walked into the WNBA Draft Lottery with the best odds and walked out holding the golden ticket again. Last year, that top spot delivered Paige Bueckers, who didn’t waste a second proving why she was worth every ping-pong ball. Rookie of the Year, All-WNBA second team, All-Star starter: she did everything except drag Dallas into the postseason. That part? Still very much a work in progress.

Five teams were in the lottery for the first time since 2010, and Dallas, sitting on a 19–65 cumulative record, had the fattest 42% chance to win it all. And when the envelopes flipped, the order stayed friendly: Wings at No. 1, Lynx at No. 2, Storm at No. 3, then Mystics and Sky.

As Dallas’ lottery rep Maddy Siegrist put it, “[We want] someone who wants to win… We’ve got an exciting young group… I’m excited to bring someone else in.”

Dallas has reasons to dream. A new coach in José Fernandez. A shiny practice facility. Five core players already locked in: Bueckers, Siegrist, Diamond Miller, Aziaha James, and JJ Quinerly. So, this No. 1 pick isn’t just a luxury; it’s a chance to reset the entire vibe of the franchise. And history says this slot delivers. Look at the last few years alone: Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston. The top pick isn’t a maybe; it’s a game-changer.

Azzi Fudd to Dallas? Rebecca Lobo pushes for the UConn Star at No.1

The buzz around Dallas has gotten louder ever since Rebecca Lobo hopped on X and declared, “Sarah Strong is the best player in the country and Azzi Fudd will be the top pick in the 2026 WNBA Draft…”

That one post cracked open a door everyone thought was already locked. Most mocks still say Awa Fam or Lauren Betts should go first, with ESPN slotting Fudd at No. 4 behind Fam, Betts, and Olivia Miles. But since the Wings got the bold confidence of bagging the No. 1 pick for the second straight year, things are shifting. 

Wings reporter Drake dropped a little stir on X, writing, “Rebecca Lobo vouching for UConn’s Azzi Fudd as Dallas’ potential No. 1 pick on ESPN.” Then he cooled the hype just a bit, adding, “Good amount of talk about Awa Fam as well.”

And oh, the reunion storyline writes itself.

Fudd has openly admitted it’s been strange doing life in Storrs without Paige, telling reporters, “It’s weird being the oldest… It’s going to be weird not having [Paige], obviously.”

Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd didn’t just meet at UConn; their story started years earlier, when two teenagers helped Team USA snag gold and somehow turned a summer tournament into a lifelong bond. When college came around, Paige, the top recruit in 2020, went full recruiter mode, cutting together a mixtape of her slickest passes and sending it to Azzi, the No. 1 recruit in 2021, like a basketball love letter: ‘Come run with me at UConn.’

From there, it became a four-year saga loaded with everything UConn basketball does best. By 2025, it all built to one last chapter: a national title game in Tampa against South Carolina. It was the first March Madness run they truly got to tackle side by side, pushing the Huskies to their first championship appearance since 2016. They shared the floor in 31 games last season, more than any year they’d ever played together. 

Other top candidates the Wings could consider

Dallas may be flirting with the idea of an Azzi Fudd–Paige Bueckers reunion, but the draft board isn’t exactly handing them a one-name script. Another insider spelled out the wider landscape, noting:

“ESPN’s latest mock draft had UConn’s Azzi Fudd going No. 4 overall to the Washington Mystics, her hometown team as an Arlington, Va. native. Mystics also have two other 2026 first-round picks, No. 9 and No. 11. ESPN projected UConn teammate Serah Williams at No. 9.”

So while the Wings sit at No. 1 again, they aren’t the only franchise circling Fudd, and she isn’t the only headliner in the mix.

Unlike the Paige Bueckers, Caitlin Clark, or Aliyah Boston years, where the top pick was basically decided months ahead, this class is chaos in the best way. UCLA’s Lauren Betts brings the kind of size (a true 6-7) the WNBA barely has on tap, and her polished footwork makes her look like an instant franchise anchor. She hasn’t taken a single three in college, but she doesn’t have to. 

Then there’s Awa Fam, the 19-year-old Spanish center who started playing professionally at 15 and put up 8.7 points and 4.2 rebounds during Spain’s EuroBasket run. At 6-4 with real pro reps already under her belt, she’s the wild-card international unicorn everyone’s watching.

And the guards? Dallas has a buffet of them. Olivia Miles is climbing back up the boards fast. The TCU star rebuilt her game after her ACL tear and is now cooking in a pick-and-roll system that makes her look tailor-made for a pro offense.

LSU’s Flau’Jae Johnson adds another twist, averaging 17.3 points, 4.3 boards, and 3.7 assists while looking like the kind of two-way nightmare teams dream about.

Put all of that together, and the Wings don’t just have one option. They’ve got a menu of potential No. 1s, all offering something completely different. The question now isn’t whether Dallas can take Fudd. It’s whether they’ll be able to look past all this talent and still decide the reunion story is worth top billing.