As the WNBA season resumes after the World Cup, the Dallas Wings will look to make the final push for better playoff seeding. If the Wings can’t get a better seed, they’ll have to face the Minnesota Lynx or the Golden State Valkyries. So with that urgency in mind, the team is shaking up its roster even if that means waiving a veteran guard.

“The Dallas Wings have waived guard Sug Sutton, the team announced today. Sutton sustained a season-ending injury to her right hand in practice earlier this week. The Wings will continue to lead the rehab of Sutton’s injury,” read the X post by the Dallas Wings on September 16.

After signing with Dallas on June 14, Sutton suited up for 22 games this season, providing steady backcourt depth while averaging 2.3 points on efficient 48.8% shooting and 1.5 assists per contest. Sutton last played for them against the Connecticut Sun on August 30, 2026.

While the Wings confirmed they will oversee her ongoing rehabilitation process, this move frees up a much-needed spot on Dallas’ roster, and the team plans to sign a replacement before hosting the Los Angeles Sparks at College Park Center on Thursday, per Dallas reporter Myah Taylor.

“The Wings said they now have an open roster spot they anticipate filling before Thursday’s game against the Sparks.”

While Dallas Wings punched the last postseason ticket, the eliminated Sparks arrive in Dallas eager to play spoiler as the Wings fight to bolster their playoff positioning. With four games remaining in the regular season, the WNBA’s eight-team playoff bracket remains unsettled, leaving every seed up for grabs.

Finally snapping their postseason absence dating back to 2023, the Wings secured their playoff return while breaking the franchise record for single-season wins since moving to North Texas from Tulsa ahead of the 2016 campaign.

Riding a four-game winning streak, the Wings enter the restart locked in a three-way tie for sixth place alongside the Washington Mystics and the New York Liberty. Dallas might have a more favorable schedule, with all four remaining opponents sitting below the playoff line.

A matchup with Los Angeles, two games against Phoenix, and a clash with Seattle give Dallas the clearest path to climb the ladder and avoid two of this year’s WNBA Championship favorites.

However, the Wings don’t control their destiny outright because the Mystics hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Dallas could be down a vital frontcourt piece after veteran center Alanna Smith suffered a lower-leg injury competing for Australia at the Women’s World Cup. Meanwhile, Wings star Paige Bueckers is also being cautious not to trigger her patellar tendinitis following two back-to-backs during the World Cup.

Dallas is already navigating the campaign without Azzi Fudd, their number one overall draft pick, who was ruled out for the year after suffering a season-ending knee injury. In fact, Fudd recently opened up about how she has felt being unable to help the team as they head to the playoffs.

Azzi Fudd Makes An Honest Admission About Her Rookie Season With The Dallas Wings

Azzi Fudd surely did not expect her rookie season to end the way it did.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Azzi Fudd made her first public comments roughly three weeks after undergoing season-ending arthroscopic surgery on her right knee to conclude her rookie year with the Dallas Wings.

While she may not have liked the decision to sit out the rest of the season, she acknowledged that it was a step in the right direction.

“I was definitely a little frustrated at first,” Fudd said in her media availability Tuesday. “But I feel like I’ve handled this one really well … I feel like just knowing that this was the right decision gave me peace of mind going into this.”

“I’ve been through rehab before; it’s nothing new, I know how to attack it.”

Fudd wrapped up her 30-game rookie campaign averaging 13.1 points, 1.8 assists, and 1.7 rebounds. She delivered exceptional efficiency across the board, converting 45.6% of her field goals, 39.7% of her triples, and 82.6% from the free-throw line.

Fudd emerged as one of Dallas’ primary perimeter weapons and one of four Wings players averaging double figures. The sharpshooter rewrote the franchise record book by sinking 62 three-pointers, the most by a rookie in team history, while also capturing the three-point contest during All-Star Weekend.

Unfortunately, Fudd is now relegated to providing a morale boost to her teammates on the sidelines, much like Caitlin Clark, who suffered a season-ending injury during the 2025 WNBA regular season.

“I’m going to try to be the best cheerleader I can on the side, the best teammate,” Fudd said. “I’m going to try to be their hype woman.”

The Wings return to action Thursday night at College Park Center, with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.