The Dallas Wings now possess one of the most formidable backcourts in the WNBA. With Azzi Fudd officially joining Paige Bueckers & Co., the focus immediately shifts to Head Coach Jose Fernandez’s blueprint for making it all work.

“I think having Paige, Arike, and Azzi on the floor together. And what we addressed in our free agency with our front line. There’s definitely a different lineup that we can play. But I think now it’s a little bit more relaxed with the post players. That we got that’s going to free her up for a lot of things.”

“But I just like it how she’s going to get open in the transition and also on the half-court, where you can run so many things. She is a shooter running off pindowns or staggers off of flares. She reads defense as well when she curls. So I just think her versatility, along with the people that we’re going to have on the floor. Whether it’s gonna take a lot of load off her coming in as a rookie,” summarized the Wings coach in a post-draft media conference.

Fernandez isn’t wrong to point out how her shooting versatility will fit seamlessly alongside Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale.

It wouldn’t come across as arrogance either to say that Dallas hands down has the most talented guard trios in the league. By running Fudd off ‘pindowns’ and ‘stagger screens,’ the Wings can force defenses into impossible choices: either chase Fudd around the perimeter, opening up driving lanes for Bueckers and Ogunbowale, or collapse in the paint and risk giving one of the nation’s best shooters an open look.

Dallas as a team has a very strong interior presence that makes them truly stand out among the rest. So the pressure gets diminished considerably when you are a rookie looking to find your way in the most elite level that professional basketball has to offer, so it’s no wonder the Dallas management is excited.

But what does Azzi Fudd make of this new association?

Azzi Fudd on ‘Surreal Feeling’ of Being Picked by Dallas Wings

The long-awaited dream for Azzi Fudd has finally come true. She has now gone down as the No. 1 pick for the 2026 WNBA draft, which will again put her side by side with her girlfriend Paige Bueckers as she starts her Dallas Wings journey, so what does she feel about this moment?

“I’m not really sure I have words to describe that feeling and what that meant. I don’t think it’s fully sunk in. I don’t really have words. It is nothing I could have imagined. The feeling sitting there with my family…hearing your name called, getting to walk up there. It’s such a surreal feeling. I’m so grateful,” recounted Fudd.

A year ago, it was another Husky, Paige Bueckers, who walked the same road with the Dallas Winga, and this time it’s Paige’s partner’s turn to do the same. Fudd will now join a team that includes Bueckers, fellow All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale, center Alanna Smith, and forwards Myisha Hines-Allen and Maddy Siegrist.

Incidentally, Fudd was also the only Huskies player selected in the first round. But this is exactly where the road becomes difficult. Unlike UConn, which had a proven track record of surpassing expectations, the Wings have been the underdogs in the WNBA.

They had two poor seasons and have not qualified for the playoffs. With a 9-31 record in 2024 and a 10-34 record last season, they underperformed again. However, Azzi Fudd will look to revitalize the franchise with her energy and a special partnership with Paige.