Going into the All-Star break, the Dallas Wings looked like they were scripting the biggest comeback story of the season. Sitting in fourth ahead of teams like the Indiana Fever, Paige Bueckers was leading the Wings’ massive resurgence after finishing the 2025 season with a 10-34 record. However, the momentum slowed down after the All-Star Weekend in July, and with Azzi Fudd missing her fifth consecutive game, the Wings’ current form doesn’t paint a pretty picture.
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Fudd developed soreness in her right knee during the pre-game warm-up against the Golden State Valkyries and had to sit out the game. Now, four games later, the Wings have once again lost to the Valkyries with Fudd still on the sidelines, and ESPN host Monica McNutt is cautious about what the future holds.
“This was a team that I was watching closely coming out of the All-Star break because the Wings were bouncing around in that top four. But if the playoffs started today, the first round would be the ceiling for the Wings because the Minnesota Lynx are a well-oiled machine,” McNutt said on SportsCenter in a video posted by ESPN on X on Monday, August 17.
Twice this season, the Wings have played outstanding stretches of basketball. They had a four-game winning streak early in the season that stabilized their 2026 outing. It was followed by a six-game winning streak in July.
All such runs happened when Azzi Fudd was not injured. She had been a big piece for the Wings, especially on the defensive end. However, since her right knee injury, Fudd has missed five straight games, and the Wings have lost their steam.
The Wings have a 1-5 record in Fudd’s absence since the August 6 game against the Washington Mystics. However, the wailing of the poor show started after the New York Liberty snapped their six-game winning streak. Since then, the Wings have gone 3-7 in their last 10 games.
Overall, Dallas has played an impactful season in 2026. They have been among the good teams both on defense and offense. They are 6th in the league in defensive rating and 5th in offensive rating as per StatMuse’s calculations.
In fact, they haven’t completely lost their grip on their postseason dreams either. The Wings are still among the first eight teams in the WNBA standings, with a 20-16 record. The No. 9 Portland Fire still have a lot of ground to cover with their losing record of 15-20.
However, as McNutt pointed out, it’s the sudden slump in form that’s most worrying. Unless the Wings can turn things around and win against the top four teams in the league, their post-season may not last long.
Thankfully, Azzi Fudd has already started her full-contact workout. However, the Wings are perhaps being very careful and don’t want to rush her.
The Wings have won just 16.7% of their games without Fudd. With 8 games remaining in the season, the Wings would want to avoid playing the Lynx in the first round, and Azzi Fudd could be their answer.