Azzi Fudd’s troubled history with knee injuries has caught up with her. After almost two years, Fudd felt a problem in her knee that has now ruled her out of the final eight regular-season games. The timing could not have been worse for the Western Conference franchise, who are 1-5 in six games without her. The 23-year-old will now go under the knife with the aim of returning healthy for the 2027 season.

This is in line with head coach Jose Fernandez’s sentiment around the player’s health and longevity that he shared ahead of the Tempo game.

“Dallas Wings rookie guard Azzi Fudd will undergo an arthroscopic procedure to address ongoing right knee soreness,” the team announced on Wednesday.

“Fudd will have the procedure done in Connecticut early next week and will begin rehabbing immediately. With less than five weeks remaining in the regular season following the procedure, Fudd will miss the remainder of the 2026 season. The Wings will provide additional updates following the procedure when appropriate.”

Fudd has not featured since August 5, when she dropped nine points on the road against the Washington Mystics. There was no sign of injury in that game, but things took a turn in the pre-game portion of Dallas’ game against Golden State two days later.

The player was ruled out of the Valkyries game as the team opted to take the route of “an abundance of caution.” This may have likely stemmed from her troubled history surrounding her right knee.

Fudd’s injury history with her right knee goes back to the time she was 16. The player tore her right ACL and MCL, requiring two separate knee reconstruction surgeries. Though she returned and committed to UConn years later, her knee has been a subject of close scrutiny.

The 2022 NCAA season saw Fudd miss five games after a teammate fell into her right knee. A year later, she went down without contact but missed seven more weeks. Both injuries’ exact details remain unclear.

A year later at UConn, Fudd had to take a redshirt owing to a second ACL tear. The injury also saw her meniscus suffer a tear. Two weeks after returning from that injury, she suffered a sprain in the 2024 NCAA season that cost her two more weeks of her collegiate career.

Given her successful returns from such serious setbacks, Fudd knows the exact comeback process. She took to social media to express her feelings regarding her injury.

“Hey, Most of you probably already saw. I have got a small procedure coming up on my knee, and I’ll be out as I recover,” she said in her social media post.

“I know exactly what comes next: rehab, put in the work, come back, ready and better than before. Grateful for my family, my circle, and the Wings organization for the support. Thank you for all the messages today, they mean a lot to me.”

This comes as a huge blow for Dallas, who sat in sixth spot in the WNBA standings on August 5. At that time, the Washington Mystics and the New York Liberty sat in the two spots below the Wings. Now, these two franchises have leapfrogged Dallas to leave them in the last playoff spot.

Fudd’s absence may not have only cost the 20-16 Wings ground in the race for a higher seed, but it may have them looking over their shoulders as the Portland Fire sit just five behind with a game in hand. At the time Fudd last played, the Fire were eight behind and have gone 4-1 since.

This is the complete opposite of the Wings’ 1-4 run, with their sole win in this spell coming against a Toronto Tempo side that had lost eight on the bounce.

Even if Portland Fire win their extra game, Dallas will still have a four-win advantage. Given the playoff race, this makes August 25’s Fire at Wings game all the more interesting. It could be a virtual knockout if both teams’ form remains as is.

One advantage the Wings have on paper is that seven of their next eight games come against opposition currently below them in the table. While this makes it look likely that the Wings will qualify for the playoffs, without Fudd, this team can struggle in the playoffs (most likely against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx), as she has been a key player for them this season.

Fudd averaged 13.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.7 steals per game this season, while shooting 45.6% from the field and 39.7% from beyond the arc.

The 23-year-old has already set a rookie record with the Wings, dishing out 62 three-pointers, joining the likes of Caitlin Clark, Rhyne Howard, and Tamika Catchings as the only rookies in WNBA history to record at least 50 3s, 50 steals, and 25 blocks.

Her absence will certainly leave Dallas nervy in the last few weeks of the regular season, but the onus is on Paige Bueckers and Co. to finish the season strongly. Their first game post the Fudd surgery news is also their final regular-season game against a top-three team.