After three years of misses, Dallas returns to the 2026 WNBA playoffs, and head coach Jose Fernandez isn’t shy about the journey. After the 96-78 win against the Portland Fire on Tuesday, the Dallas Wings have officially booked their playoff berth. Feranadez ended the post-game press conference with a funny line in his typical nonchalant, no-holds-barred tone.

“Thank you, guys. Appreciate you guys covering us all year, through the good, bad, and me being a****** as well,” Fernandez said in the post-game conference uploaded to YouTube by Champside.

The Wings certainly had the season to warrant this candid, yet honest response from Jose Fernandez. In their latest victory, they powered past the Fire on the back of strong displays from Paige Bueckers and Jessica Shepard. Shepard ended on 21 points, just behind Bueckers. Shepard also added nine rebounds and six assists. Bueckers finished the night with a game-high 22 points and added eleven assists and four rebounds.

Bueckers ended up making WNBA history as she became only the third player in WNBA history to record at least 750 points and 200 assists in a single season, joining the likes of Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Plum.

This is the second milestone that Bueckers has achieved this week. In the last game against the Seattle Storm, she made all six of her shots from beyond the arc, tying the WNBA record for most made three-pointers without missing.

Bueckers has been the main anchor for this Dallas team as they make the journey to the playoffs after a three-year gap, having last made the postseason in 2023. She is averaging 20.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 5.8 assists this season, leading the Dallas team in points and assists.

Led by Bueckers and Shepard, the Wings improved their record to 23-16 and will now look to focus on postseason strategy.

The Wings would likely face the number one seed, the Minnesota Lynx, in the first round of the playoffs. While they may set their franchise record for most wins in a season, with five games still left to play, there are some glaring gaps in their tactical setup that have been exposed time and again throughout the season.

For starters, the Wings have a terrible record against the top eight sides in the league. They have won just six games against them this season, while losing 13 games. This is an alarming trend for a side looking to go deep in the playoffs.

Compounding the challenge, their number one pick from this season’s draft, Azzi Fudd, has been ruled out for the rest of the season. Fudd has not played since August 5 after she underwent an arthroscopic procedure on her right knee after a 96-92 loss against the Washington Mystics. Fudd was averaging 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in the 30 games she featured for Dallas in this rookie season.

Once Fudd’s season-ending injury was confirmed, Dallas moved quickly to sign a replacement – a player they had previously been associated with.

Wings Get an Exception From The WNBA for Azzi Fudd’s Replacement

The Wings utilized a WNBA policy exemption to sign Fudd’s replacement. As per current rules, a team is allowed to sign a player to a full contract if a current player is ruled out for the rest of the season. Therefore, the W granted the Wings a Season-Ending Injury Exception.

The Wings then announced on X that they signed Kitija Laksa to a ‘rest-of-season contract on Tuesday. Laksa fills Fudd’s roster spot on the Wings squad.

Laksa has a previous connection with coach Jose Fernandez. During her four years with the South Florida Bulls, she played her entire college career under Jose Fernandez, who was the then-head coach for the Bulls. She now returns to play under him, after he recruited her out of her birthplace of Riga, Latvia.

After her college career with the Bulls, Laksa was initially drafted by the Seattle Storm with the 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft. However, she did not make her WNBA debut before 2025, when she played 33 games for the Phoenix Mercury. Her time on court yielded an average of 5.9 points and 1.2 rebounds. Laksa went on to be drafted by the Toronto Tempo again in the 2026 WNBA expansion draft.

Wings have held rights for Laksa before as well, but the move never materialized. The Tempo waived her before the regular season began, and she has not played any games this season. Yet.

Laksa brings a lot of international experience to this Dallas team. She has won the EuroLeague with Fenerbahçe, having played in the Latvian national team since 2013. The guard’s performance also helped the Beretta Famila Schio win the Italian league championship in 2025.

With Coach Jose Fernandez expressing his thanks to the media, Bueckers breaking records, and the signing of a new guard, the Dallas Wings look well set for the 2026 WNBA playoffs despite losing Fudd along the way. In the regular season, the Wings will face the Connecticut Sun on August 30, hoping to extend their winning streak to four.