Back in April, way before the draft happened, Paige Bueckers didn’t flinch before flashing a longing smile. “Perhaps going to play in Dallas. How does that sound to you?” a reporter questioned her and her answer, while capable of eliciting awwws, ended up setting the grapevine chattering. “I’m just excited for the next step in the journey, wherever that is, whatever that looks like. Just to be able to play in the WNBA—it’s a dream come true.” Now, it would have been pretty fine had she left it at that, but she brought in her homecourt, her childhood dream team.

“I was just a little girl aspiring to be in the league. The Minnesota Lynx dynasty was everything for me, so to grow up watching the rest of that dynasty and to be able to share that experience and be a part of that is just—it’s surreal to say,” Bueckers added, making everyone’s eyes open wide at how she passed the mention of Dallas. So, the Wings’ front office may have popped champagne over that lottery pick, but the basketball world was convinced the whole celebration would soon be up to its ankles in mud. And Geno Auriemma’s comments did not exactly help.

“No, I have not. Some GMs over the years will contact me to talk about players. Coaches will too. They’ll come to practice, come to games. I’ve built relationships with a bunch of them. And some? I couldn’t pick them out of a lineup and they’ll draft my players without even asking me anything. So I know that kid won’t be there long. So, I don’t worry about it,” Auriemma said, implying the front office had not been as enthusiastic as everyone assumed.

And yet, on draft day, the rumor mill coughed, wheezed, and stalled out. Paige Bueckers became part of the franchise, and since then, not a day has passed without her rolling up her sleeves to move the pile of misfortunes in search of a ‘fresh start,’ as she called it. At 6-16, there’s little room for debate. The team hasn’t managed to rise from the ashes. With the season now at its exact midpoint, fans have run out of patience, hope, and leniency for Chris Koclanes.

Fans plead with Paige Bueckers after another Dallas Wings upset

The NCAA title game had barely wrapped up when the Wings’ players began their unofficial campaign. “I woke up feeling like a traitor cause I was really clapping when a certain team scored… anyway, go Wings lol. Can’t wait for the draft. Wings y’all know what to do,” Arike Ogunbowale said. While DiJonai Carrington held nothing back, leaving a “congratssss tea**ate” comment under Paige’s championship post. So, no one was playing coy with poker faces. Cut to now and fans, too, have begun a campaign of their own.

The Wings’ locker room has been plagued by injuries, with DiJonai Carrington, Maddy Seigrist, Tyasha Harris, and Arike Ogunbowale all out at one point. Back then, HC Koclanes was left with no option. He had to send forth a starting lineup of 4 rookies. And it worked, until it didn’t. Paige Bueckers and Co. passed with flying colours in the 3rd July matchup against the Phoenix Mercury, holding the no.2 team in the western conference to just 89 points. Then rolled around the rematch and the Mercury decided they were going to prove that win a fluke, beating the Wings by a whopping 30 points.

Enter the Chicago Sky, a team barely floating above rock bottom in the East, and they grounded the Wings, dragging them to dead last in a matchup that, on paper, looked like a sure thing. But fans held on. After all, they were eager to witness the historical Paige Bueckers vs. Caitlin Clark they had already been ripped off before. Paige Bueckers led all scorers with 21 points, while Caitlin Clark dished out a game-high 13 assists. But despite Bueckers’ efforts, it wasn’t enough. The Wings ultimately fell by 19 points.

So, fans were done. A user suggested, “Paige baby, just put in that trade request next year bruh,” as another echoed, “”Paige bueckers please just request a trade.. that team don’t deserve you.”

Fair enough. Paige Bueckers has poured in 21, 17, 27, 20, and even 35, like clockwork, night after night. Not once has she dipped below double digits, not once has her fire flickered. And yet, despite the brilliance, the buckets, and the burden she shoulders, she sits at the bottom. So, what Wings CEO and managing partner Greg Bibb told Front Office Sports does not really hold up. “When I look at things now, I really feel like there’s this false narrative around Dallas,” he had said.

But narratives don’t bloom in a vacuum, this one has roots. The Wings have wandered the shadows for nearly a decade. Since leaving Tulsa behind and becoming Dallas’ own, they’ve soared above .500 just once. One lonely playoff push in 2023 stands as their brightest flicker. Last season, the win column stalled at nine, and with it, Latricia Trammell’s time as head coach came to an end. But the turbulence doesn’t stop there. The roster has seen way too much talent and subsequent frustration. Names like Liz Cambage, Skylar Diggins-Smith, Allisha Gray, and Marina Mabrey all chose to part ways. Most recently, it was Satou Sabally, traded to Phoenix in a tangled four-team deal.

So, “Paige Bueckers go ahead and request that trade sweetheart,” was a common sentiment that echoed across social media. Meanwhile, a user drew a direct comparison between WNBA rookie to NBA legend, Kobe Bryant. “Paige Bueckers gotta demand a trade she gotta Kobe ’em, this is re-d,” the comment read.

In the summer of 2007, Kobe Bryant stood at a crossroads – 28 years old, still in his prime, fresh off a season where he torched the league with 32 points a night and a precision that hit 46% of his shots. But under that greatness sat frustration. Though bound by contract for two more seasons, his loyalty had grown restless. Ever since Shaquille O’Neal’s departure, the Lakers had wandered through mediocrity, with three years of falling short, and Kobe had grown tired of waiting for the rebuild to catch up to his ambition. However, the deal never materialzed.

“At that time, the Lakers had to do something. I was just losing faith in what they were trying to do. It was like I was a meal ticket,” Bryant told ESPN’s Baxter Holmes. “You come out and score 40, 50 points, fill the seats, we’re going to keep the payroll at a minimum, generate revenue. It’s like, look, listen, I am not with that, dude. I have to win without Shaq. I’ve got to do it. We’ve got to do something.”

Also, we would suggest Bueckers doesn’t take the exact path. After all, she might run a risk of incurring fines. Yet, trade comments did not stop. “Paige Bueckers should demand a trade to the Fever. She obviously can’t lead her own team,” another comment read. A leader during her college days, after entering the Wings, Paige had expressed similar wishes. “Just trying to lead by example, lead with my voice and just have difficult conversations,” she had said. But fans do not think it is playing out like that.

Whether she chooses to switch or continues her run in the Dallas Wings, one thing is clear. Paige Bueckers is making her mark in the W and will continue to shine in the upcoming years.