January 16, 2021
Dallas Wings free agency outlook
By Drew Ivery
Wings CEO Greg Bibb and head coach Vickie Johnson look to tackle free agency
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Enjoy our team-by-team free agency previews!
To draft them all or not to draft them all? That is the one of the more important questions for the Dallas Wings in 2021. Like CEO Greg Bibb, new head coach Vickie Johnson will play a big role in answering the many questions surrounding the team.
Dallas holds the second, fifth and seventh picks in the 2021 WNBA Draft. It seems too easy a decision to trade one or more of those top picks for some veteran players to build around centerpieces Arike Ogunbowale and Satou Sabally. If the Wings don’t and decide to draft with all three lottery picks, they just get younger and less experienced, which doesn’t get them any closer to a championship.
“Greg and I, we will build a championship team, but it takes time,” Johnson said in her introductory press conference.
It does indeed take time, but how long is that timeframe? How open is that championship window in the Johnson era? In the Agler era, the team didn’t even get a taste of the playoffs. Patience with this team is key, but so is urgency. Why? Because the quality of players in this league is just getting better. Things won’t get any easier and rebuilding time is over.
They also have a key free agent pool to explore to see if they can try to acquire the likes of top players like Natasha Howard, Alyssa Thomas or the reigning Defensive Player of the Year Candace Parker. If the Wings expect to make the playoffs in 2021 and be a threat, they need another star to add to this young core and or some other key veteran players. Young teams aren’t built to win championships in this league. Other free agents Dallas should keep on their radar include Nneka Ogwumike, Alysha Clark and Cheyenne Parker.
Aside from looking at other free agents, the Wings have a decision to make on their own free agent. Allisha Gray is a restricted free agent.
Gray just finished up one of her best years in the WNBA. Shooting a career-high 46.4 percent from the field and a career-high 13.1 points per game, part of which is due to her addition of a new trainer in the offseason. She also notched a career-high 4.2 rebounds per game. Gray has been with the Wings since she was drafted at number four overall in 2017 and won the Rookie of the Year award. She’s a two way player who had a significant impact for Dallas last season and is worth keeping. Her addition or subtraction will be significant nonetheless.
Free Agency negotiations begin January 15 and run through the end of the month, followed by signings which begin on February 1. With the upcoming draft in April, the clock is ticking and free agency negotiations will play a major role in what happens with Dallas’ three lottery picks.
