It is an offseason of change for the WNBA. Five teams are in the market for a head coach, including the Wings, who fired Latricia Trammell on October 18 and also announced they would be hiring a general manager to replace Greg Bibb, who has held that role along with the job of team president since 2015.
Trammell, a first-time head coach, spent two seasons on the bench. The team had its best season in Dallas in her first year, finishing 22-18 and advancing to the playoffs, but followed that up by going 9-31. It was the franchise’s worst showing since the 3-31 finish in 2011, when the team was playing in Tulsa.
Trammell came to Dallas with a reputation as a defensive-minded coach, but the defense fell off tremendously in her second season. The Wings gave up 109.1 points per 100 possessions, the worst mark in the league, and were last in pretty much every defensive shooting category. Check out these numbers from Her Hoop Stats:
There’s no good way to slice those numbers, but there was a reason for it. For the first 25 games, the Wings were without Satou Sabally, one of the league’s top three-and-D players. Natasha Howard missed a chunk of time with a broken foot. The team’s best perimeter defender, Veronica Burton, was waived just before the season, leaving a hole in the backcourt. Arike Ogunbowale is one of the best offensive players in the WNBA, but you really need a good defender to play alongside her. Instead, the Wings started the year with rookie Sevgi Uzun at the position.
Again, that’s not to say Trammell doesn’t deserve some blame for the defensive issues. She didn’t have the personnel she needed, but to be last in so many areas has something to do with coaching, with issues ranging from the rotation to problems getting a full effort out of the team after it got healthy down the stretch.
Still, based on how much success the Wings had in her first season, did Trammell really deserve to be fired?
Considering how many teams are searching for a head coach and where the Wings most likely fit in the pecking order, one could argue this wasn’t the time to move on. The Sky and the Sparks have exciting young cores. The Mystics have a lot of resources because they’re under the Monumental Sports umbrella. The expansion Golden State Valkyries have already landed a big fish by hiring Aces assistant Natalie Nakase. Dallas is fighting with Atlanta to see which is the second-least desirable head coaching job, and that’s before considering the rumors that Sun coach Stephanie White is talking with the Fever about replacing Christie Sides, which would open a spot in Connecticut.
But this move was about more than coaching. The decision to hire a new GM is the bigger news, and a new general manager typically wants to bring in a new coach and build the staff in his or her image.And depending on who the Wings hire, the coaching job in Dallas could get a lot more enticing.In fact, the two names that Howard Megdal at The Next mentioned as potential GM candidates could fundamentally change the direction of the franchise.
Megdal mentioned two names with head coaching experience in the WNBA as options for the GM role: former New York Liberty head coach Katie Smith, who works as the associate head coach for the Lynx, and former Los Angeles Sparks and Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller. He previously served as GM of the Sun and in 2017 won both WNBA Coach of the Year and WNBA Executive of the Year. Smith doesn’t have front-office experience, but she has worked closely with Cheryl Reeve in Minnesota, a two-time winner of Executive of the Year.
Either would be a huge get. But why did Dallas feel the need to pursue a GM in the first place?
Bibb made some good decisions—drafting Ogunbowale and Sabally are among the biggest positives. But there’s a reason so many Wings fans had grown tired of Bibb’s regime. Despite five playoff appearances in nine seasons since moving to DFW, the team has struggled to keep talented players and to build depth through the draft and free agency.
Losing stars such as Skylar Diggins-Smith and Liz Cambage largely remains a mystery, but both were potential franchise cornerstones. Talents including Azura Stevens, Kayla Thornton, Allisha Gray, and Marina Mabrey also spent time in Dallas before quickly moving on.
Then there were the drafting woes. Although you can’t blame Bibb too much for the 2021 draft, when the Wings took Charli Collier first in a draft that lacked any real stars, his resume as a drafter armed with a slew of first-round picks was weak.
In 2020, the team used the No. 2 pick on Sabally. It was a good move. But No. 5 pick Bella Alarie is out of the league (personal reasons may have played a role) and No. 7 selection Tyasha Harris is now in Connecticut. In 2021, the team had three of the top five picks. None of those players played a minute in the WNBA last season. In 2022, the team drafted Burton at No. 7. She’s also now in Connecticut.
The jury is still out on the 2023 draft. For the second time in three seasons, the Wings had three of the top five picks, but only Maddy Siegrist looks like someone who’ll stick in the league. Stephanie Soares and Lou Lopez Senechal didn’t play in 2023, and both struggled in their 2024 debuts. Soares averaged 8.0 minutes per game. Senechal averaged 4.6.
All of these issues came to a head in 2024. The team looked poised to build on its best season since moving to Arlington, but injuries exposed the lack of depth and issues with how Bibb built the roster. Five players on the opening day roster hadn’t played a single WNBA minute.
The Wings also unwisely invested significant resources on the center position. Teaira McCowan and Kalani Brown both played on protected six-figure deals, and both are under contract in 2025. They are talented bigs who could start for many teams in the league, but having both on the roster when they can’t share the floor is a prime example of diminishing returns. Per PBP Stats, the two played just seven minutes together in 2024.
So, now what?
We’re entering uncharted territory as the WNBAPA has opted out of the collective bargaining agreement, so it would be foolish to speculate on what free agents the Wings might pursue until we know what the salary cap situation looks like. Point guard remains a major concern, and Dallas would obviously love to win the lottery and the rights to draft UConn guard Paige Bueckers. But whether it’s Bueckers or a veteran, someone has to come in who can run the offense.
The Wings also must replace Howard, who has announced she’ll be signing elsewhere in free agency. Sabally is a free agent as well, although the team could use the core designation on her, which would mean that only the Wings could negotiate with her. If Sabally wants to go elsewhere, the core would at least ensure the front office can move her in a sign-and-trade and get some value in return.
This much is clear: the Wings must give their new GM autonomy. Bibb is still involved in the organization as the president and CEO, which has led many to worry the new GM will essentially be a Bibb puppet. And I fully understand where that concern comes from. Bibb’s fingerprints are all over this franchise.
But if Miller and Smith are truly the favorites for the GM position, those are respected basketball minds. They aren’t going to go along with whatever Bibb wants the franchise to do. We can’t be sure of anything until we see who the hire is, but the shakeup doesn’t suggest the team is looking for someone who would represent just a ceremonial change.
The Wings are coming off of a nightmare season, but this offseason represents an opportunity to change the trajectory of the franchise. We’ll see if they can soar higher with fewer shackles.
