Paige Bueckers all-in on being cornerstone of Wings systemic overhaul: Build off each other

Paige Bueckers timidly unwrapped a gift from Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson and city manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert on Monday afternoon before unveiling her very own 10-gallon hat.She put it on her head — backward at first before being corrected — for a photo op with the four other 2025 Wings draftees who received the same cowboy hats.Welcome to Dallas, Paige.Monday was another of what general manager Curt Miller is calling “momentum-building moments” in this new, refreshing era of the Dallas Wings.For years, Dallas has been in dire need of a systemic overhaul.It’s been a place marquee free agents have largely ignored and several of the league’s stars — including Skylar Diggins-Smith, Liz Cambage, Allisha Gray and, most recently, Satou Sabally — have forced their way out of.The hope, though, is that those days of being a league afterthought are over.The transition to relevance started in November, with the hiring of Miller, and has been rapidly expedited with the Wings winning the No.

1 pick in the WNBA lottery.Despite reports that Bueckers may refuse to play in Dallas, Miller said he never had a sliver of a doubt that the former UConn star would be on his team this season.Bueckers and those around her made it clear that she wanted to focus on winning a national championship this past season with the Huskies and wouldn’t entertain conversations about her WNBA future.“We respected that, we respected the process and were patient along the way,” Miller said.“And we knew that everything was trending positively and appreciated that there was that respect back and forth.”Bueckers had brief but reassuring conversations with the Wings before she heard her name called as the No.

1 pick at last week’s draft.She was heartened to learn of the franchise’s new direction and future plans.“We’re just looking to be a big-name organization and be a winning organization,” Bueckers said.“Continue to build off each other, continue to build off the mom...