Paige Bueckers’ rookie season has been unlike anything she has seen in her career. While Bueckers had only lost 17 games in her college career at UConn, the Dallas Wings have already lost 26 this season.
Sitting eight games behind the 10th-place Washington Mystics, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index currently gives the Dallas Wings a 0.1% chance to make the playoffs. And with four-time All-Star Arike Ogunbowale possibly out for the season, Dallas could be in even more dire straits.
Is Arike Ogunbowale Out for the Season?
Ogunbowale last played in the Wings’ loss to the Washington Mystics and has missed three games since. Although the season in Dallas may be beyond saving, the fans would’ve appreciated the team remaining competitive. However, Ogunbowale’s injury might keep that from happening.
Arike Ogunbowale to miss at least a few weeks with knee tendinitis.
— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) August 19, 2025
The Wings guard has been diagnosed with tendinitis in her right knee and is expected to miss a couple of weeks. Although the team stated Ogunbowale will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks, it appears doubtful the guard will be able to return this season, considering tendinitis can take 2-4 weeks to heal.
Dallas also remains patient with Ogunbowale, not having set a formal timeline for her return. Even if Ogunbowale recovers before season’s end, the Wings putting her at further risk by having her play seems unlikely.
That begs the question — could Ogunbowale have played her last game in Dallas?
Is Ogunbowale’s Tenure in Dallas Over?
If Ogunbowale does not return from injury this season, it’s quite possible her time in Dallas is over, as the explosive scorer will be a free agent next summer. And with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement still to be signed later this year, what the 2026 offseason will have in store remains a mystery.
Even if Ogunbowale does want to return, would Dallas want to spend on another ball-dominant guard when the Wings already have one in their ranks? Bueckers’ arrival and the team’s decision to build around her are clear. So, the wiser decision for the Wings would be to pick up someone more suitable to their playing style.
The move would also make sense for Ogunbowale, who is averaging a career-low 15.5 points this season. So, unless head coach Chris Koclanes has plans to fit Ogunbowale and Bueckers into a backcourt efficiently, the Wings could finally bid farewell to the guard they drafted in 2019.
