Last week, the Dallas Wings announced that they will be without their star rookie Azzi Fudd for the rest of the 2026 season. Fudd initially raised concerns after developing knee soreness during the pre-game practice against the Golden State Valkyries on August 7. Then, after missing five consecutive games, four of which Dallas lost, on August 19 the team announced that she would undergo an arthroscopic procedure and miss the remainder of the season. Now with the Wings on the verge of making the playoffs, they brought in an urgent replacement.

On Tuesday, the team signed guard Kitija Laksa to fill the roster as the 12th player, under a standard contract. According to the Wings’ official X page, the league granted the Wings permission to sign Laksa after the WNBA granted them a “Season-Ending Injury Exception.”

The Wings have signed Laksa on the same day they have a must-win game against the Portland Fire. If they win the contest, they will be in the playoffs for the first time since 2023. But the real question is: will Laksa be able to bring Azzi Fudd’s production if the Wings make the playoffs?

The 30-year-old has a lot of experience playing professional basketball, but not much in the WNBA. After four years with the South Florida Bulls, the Seattle Storm selected her 11th overall in the 2020 WNBA draft.

However, since then, she has played in Europe for the next five years before playing her first WNBA game for the Phoenix Mercury last season. This season, she hasn’t played a game since she was waived by the Toronto Tempo before the start of the 2026 season.

While Laksa has been a winner at every level in European basketball, she couldn’t execute her best game in the WNBA. She was an elite 3-point shooter both in college (39.1%, second in Bulls program history) and Europe (39.2% in 2025). With the Mercury, her 3-point shooting dropped to just 31.7%, and she averaged just 5.9 points in 19 minutes.

Laksa’s European stint, however, was a successful one. She has played and won in the EuroLeague and Italian League. She has also represented her country for the last 13 years.

Meanwhile, her four years with South Florida could be her silver lining with the Wings. That’s becuase Dallas head coach Jose Fernandez coached her for four years at USF, and she performed remarkably. She averaged 17.8 points with the Bulls, putting up historic numbers under Fernandez.

If Fernandez and Laksa can find the same chemistry with each other, she could prove to be a crucial addition.

However, Fudd’s absence could prove to be costly for the Wings. After all, Fudd’s absence did contribute to the Dallas Wings’ post-All-Star break slump. They were No, 4 in the standings ahead of the Indiana Fever heading into the break in July. In fact, Azzi Fudd even won the 2026 State Farm WNBA Three-Point Contest on July 24, 2026, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

However, following the break, they lost momentum, and with Azzi Fudd on the sidelines, the Wings have amassed a 4-6 record in their last 10 games. With a 22-16 record, they are holding on to the eighth and final seed for the playoffs. However, the current playoff picture puts them against the league leaders, the Minnesota Lynx, in the first round.

Fans won’t have to wait long to find out if Laksa can truly fill Azzi Fudd’s shoes as a defensive anchor who can also provide additional elite scoring.