The Dallas Wings selected UConn guard Azzi Fudd as the No. 1 pick in the WNBA Draft on Monday night.

While questions had lingered about Fudd’s ability to stay healthy early during her college career, she quelled those fears over the last two seasons, playing 73 games and averaging 27 minutes per game. She hit career bests in field goal percentage and 3-point field goal percentage in each of her last two seasons at UConn, and that was especially impressive this season, considering she had some down stretches and still finished the year knocking down 45 percent of her 3-point attempts.

Though Fudd wasn’t initially projected as the No. 1 pick, her prospects rose during free agency as the Wings acquired a slew of talented, experienced post players. After signing WNBA co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith, general manager Curt Miller was looking for a guard. The Wings later signed Smith’s Lynx teammate Jessica Shepard, as well as reportedly re-signing 6-foot-6 center Awak Kuier to a one-year deal and 6-7 center Li Yueru to a training camp contract.

With the Wings building in the paint, Fudd’s ability to play in the backcourt with former UConn teammate Paige Bueckers, who was the No. 1 pick last year by Dallas, was a clear selling point. She’ll also be paired with Arike Ogunbowale in the backcourt.

Unlike many recent seasons, there wasn’t a clear No. 1 pick in this year’s draft class — Awa Fam Thiam and Lauren Betts had both separated themselves as the top post prospects available, Olivia Miles’ passing ability had made her the best point guard option and Fudd had separated herself as a shooter and impact scorer for a future WNBA franchise. Miles went No. 2 to Minnesota, followed by Fam Thiam to Seattle at No. 3, Betts to Washington at No. 4, and Bett’s UCLA teammate Gabriela Jaquez No. 5 to Chicago.

With Fudd now in the fold, Dallas enters the 2026 season primed for a massive turnaround led by first-year coach Jose Fernandez, who will be the Wings’ third coach in three seasons. Fernandez spent the last 25 years at South Florida, turning the mid-major program into a perennial NCAA Tournament team, using player development and deep overseas recruiting connections to build his roster.

“He is known for putting his players in a position to succeed. As the game and WNBA continue to become global, no coach in this country has recruited and successfully coached international players better than Jose. I can’t wait to partner with Jose and support his vision for our Dallas Wings,” Miller told the Associated Press after hiring Fernandez.

Even with Fudd surrounded by a roster loaded with talent, Fernandez will have his work cut out for him. The franchise hasn’t experienced sustained success since relocating from Tulsa, Okla., in 2016 and has seen many high-profile players depart. Since arriving in Dallas, the Wings have advanced out of the first round of the playoffs only once and haven’t made the playoffs since 2023. Through the last two seasons, the franchise has gone 19-65.

With the intention of moving all operations from Arlington, Texas, to Dallas, the Wings are building a new 70,000-square-foot training facility that will exceed standards laid out in the new collective bargaining agreement. The building was delayed more than a year as costs ballooned, but it is now set for completion in 2027 with a final cost of $81 million.

The Wings will play their 2026 home games at UT-Arlington, except for three games which will be played at Dallas’ American Airlines Center (July 12 versus the Chicago Sky, Aug. 7 versus the Golden State Valkyries and Aug. 20 versus the Indiana Fever). The Wings will play their full 2027 slate of games at American Airlines Center while updates are completed on Memorial Auditorium, the planned home for the Wings, which should be ready for the 2028 season.

More on the lottery picks in the 2026 WNBA Draft:

1. Dallas Wings: Azzi Fudd, guard, UConn

Fudd is the seventh UConn player to go No. 1 and she becomes just the third mother-daughter duo to have a WNBA connection. Fudd’s mother Katie Fudd (then Katie Smrcka Duffy) was the No. 62 pick in 2001. She never suited up, but still incredible to have that kind of an intra-family connection for WNBA players. — Chantel Jennings

2. Minnesota Lynx: Olivia Miles, guard, TCU

Miles has the potential to be a generational passer in the WNBA and joins a roster that already has a generational player in Napheesa Collier. The last time the Lynx built around a true PG in Lindsay Whalen, the franchise won four WNBA titles in seven seasons. Does Miles have that kind of potential? Frankly, it’s hard to know how many teams (outside of Las Vegas, currently) have the potential to do that in this era of the game, but she does get to team up with Whalen, who’s now an assistant for the Lynx. — Jennings

3. Seattle Storm: Awa Fam Thiam, center, Valencia Basket, Spain

Fam Thiam could be the best player in this class within five years, and the Storm have the time to wait. Even if Dallas may have passed on Fam Thiam because of a positional logjam, Seattle displayed no such concerns. She will join Dominique Malonga and Ezi Magbegor in the Storm frontcourt and the collection of length and athleticism could be terrifying. It will be interesting to see how Seattle puts the pieces together. — Sabreena Merchant

4. Washington Mystics: Lauren Betts, center, UCLA

The Mystics continue to build young and Betts is a terrific piece to add to a roster that will likely be one of the youngest in the WNBA. Getting heavy minutes early will allow her to continue to build on the last few months in which her play really went to another level. She’ll be reunited with former Stanford teammate Kiki Iriafen and — not sure how many times this has happened in the past — but also with her college coach Michaela Onyenwere (Onyenwere signed with the Mystics this weekend). — Jennings

5. Chicago Sky: Gabriela Jaquez, guard, UCLA

Jaquez was barely on draft boards heading into her senior season and is now a WNBA lottery pick. She has bragging rights over her brother Jaime by winning a national title, and also over several of her UCLA teammates for getting drafted ahead of them. Chicago needed some help on the wing, and Jaquez fits a positional need even if she might not have the most upside of any of the players on the board. No other can better Jaquez as a culture-setter thanks to her motor and positive attitude. If her shooting gets back to early-season levels, this is a steal for the Sky. Even if it doesn’t, Jaquez does well enough for this to be a solid pick. — Merchant