It’s safe to say the Dallas Wings are down in the dumps. With a dismal 1 -11 start to the season and a heartbreaking collapse against the Las Vegas Aces in the final minutes of their latest game, their playoff hopes are quickly fading. ESPN currently gives them just a 22 percent chance of making the postseason.

Adding to their troubles, center Luisa Geiselsöder is leaving to join the German national team for EuroBasket. She exits on a high note after delivering one of her strongest performances, recording 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Following the loss to the Aces, Geiselsöder expressed her disappointment about having to leave the Wings during such a difficult stretch.

She told the media, “I mean it’s tough to leave the team right now, I’m not going to lie. Um, it’s hard um, if you have two plays and you can’t combine it, I hope that’s going to be better in the future, and that there’s going to be a balance between FIBA and WNBA and all that. Um so so we don’t miss that amount of games.”

Geiselsöder will likely miss a couple of weeks of WNBA action because of her involvement in the EuroBasket for the German National Team. She is an important piece for them, but simultaneously is also one for the Wings. The fact that she and many other players had to make a choice is something that could be avoided in the future if the WNBA and the FIBA collaborate. Her loss will be a big one for the Wings in the locker room, as she seems to be one of the demanding from the squad.

FIFA has already taken a significant step toward resolving scheduling conflicts by moving the 2030 Women’s World Cup to November, avoiding direct overlap with the WNBA season. However, other tournaments still create major disruptions for both the league and national teams. Currently, ten WNBA players are leaving midseason for international duty, including two from the Dallas Wings. Center Teaira McCowan is set to represent Turkey, while Luisa Geiselsöder joins Germany for EuroBasket.

This tug-of-war between the WNBA and international hoops isn’t new—it’s long been a challenge for players. Stars like Alyssa Thomas and Breanna Stewart routinely juggle WNBA seasons with commitments overseas. The current CBA (effective until Oct 2027) was opt‑outed in late 2024, meaning it will expire after 2025. While it includes a prioritization clause with exceptions for national‑team events, it still leaves no solid solution for overlapping overseas club play, leaving players like Geiselsöder in difficult midseason situations.

Their tournament next year still brushes up against the WNBA schedule. The 2026 WNBA Playoffs are set to begin on September 14, with the Finals running through mid-October. Unless further changes are made, this overlap is likely to resurface next year. Although the WNBA does pause for the Olympics every four years, other international tournaments remain in conflict with its regular calendar.

One proposed solution is to modify the WNBA schedule to better align with FIBA events. Options could include shortening the regular season, introducing built-in international breaks, or shifting the league’s start and end dates. However, any adjustments would need to be carefully weighed to avoid reducing revenue, diminishing viewership, or overloading players within a tighter calendar.

Another possible solution is to establish a formal “release clause” in WNBA contracts, allowing players to participate in major international tournaments without facing penalties or risking their roster spots. This approach would protect players’ ability to represent their countries while offering teams clearer guidelines and expectations around absences.

Implementing such a clause would require collaboration between the WNBA, team owners, and the WNBPA (players’ union) as part of a renegotiated collective bargaining agreement. Key considerations would include how long players can be absent, whether their salaries are affected, and how teams can temporarily replace them under the league’s tight roster and salary cap restrictions.

Ultimately, the best solution is likely to involve a combination of these approaches. Open communication and collaboration between the WNBA, FIBA, and national basketball federations are essential to finding a solution that works for everyone. The German mainstay further stressed that she is excited for the tournament, but this sacrifice is hard to swallow.

She said, “Um, but yeah, I mean I’m also excited for Eurobasket, I mean that’s my team too. That’s my family since I was 13 years old. So it’s it’s something special for sure, but I mean, especially with the score we have right now it’s it’s hard to leave here now. Like I would like to stay and have the team win.”

Geiselsöder has been a core part of Germany’s national program since her teenage years. She earned MVP honors at the 2016 FIBA U-16 European Championship, averaging 14.7 points and 8.9 rebounds, and later led Germany to a gold medal at the 2018 U18 European Championship. She debuted for the senior national team in 2019 and has remained a consistent contributor ever since. She will play an important role for the German squad playing at home. Germany will compete in Group D, with group-stage games held in Hamburg.

This choice will affect all the players emotionally who are leaving or staying with their respective squads. Gabby Williams and Dominique Malonga, along with a host of other players, are opting to stay in the WNBA because who will feel they are letting their country down. The sooner the two federations form an agreement, the sooner these players will have a clear pathway that lets them contribute to a host of other teams.

Dallas Wings bring in Li Yueru to Replace Geiselsöder

With the Dallas Wings continuing to struggle this season and facing the imminent departure of center Luisa Geiselsöder for international duty, the team has made a key roster change. They elected to release guard Kaila Charles, who had played in every game this season except for the recent loss to the Las Vegas Aces. Charles contributed solid minutes off the bench, averaging 4.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists in 14.0 minutes per game. 

To fill the void left by Geiselsöder and bolster their interior depth, Dallas acquired 6-foot-7 center Li Yueru from the Seattle Storm. In exchange, the Wings sent two future draft picks: a 2026 second-round pick with swap rights involving Connecticut and a 2027 third-round pick with swap rights involving Indiana. Yueru, originally from Shanxi, China, was selected in the third round of the 2019 WNBA Draft by the Atlanta Dream. Although she did not debut in the league until 2022 with the Chicago Sky, she has gradually built her presence, including a short stint with the Los Angeles Sparks.

This season, Yueru was averaging 2.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in limited playing time for Seattle. However, her request for a trade earlier this month, citing frustration over her lack of minutes, suggested she was ready for a bigger opportunity. That opportunity has now come in Dallas, where she is expected to receive significant minutes and could potentially step into the starting lineup. With both of the team’s primary centers unavailable, her arrival is timely.

Geiselsöder is heading to EuroBasket with the German national team, and Teaira McCowan has already left to join the Turkish national team, where she plays as a naturalized citizen. Yueru will provide a useful outlet to Paige Bueckers near the post. Her scoring and passing have been among the highlights for the Wings so far while averaging 17.4 points and  6.1 assists per game. Yueru is hungry to score, and she will hopefully replace the output of McCowan and Geiselsöder.

The Wings, facing one of the worst starts in franchise history, are in desperate need of size, consistency, and interior defense. Yueru’s addition may not be a cure-all, but it offers a much-needed chance for the team to stabilize its rotation and stay competitive during a challenging stretch of the season.