The Dallas Wings, the WNBA team that currently plays at College Park Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington, are still trying to finalize where the team will play home games next year. Despite several games scheduled at the American Airlines Center in Dallas this season and the last, the Wings CEO says they are not interested in making the AAC their full-time home.

“In 2027, nothing is finalized yet. I would classify our discussion as advanced with the AAC about playing our entire 2027 slate in that building,” Wings CEO Greg Bibb told NBC 5. “In terms of 2028 and beyond, until I’m told differently, the plan, the commitment is to be at a renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium and to play the next 15 years in that building as our home venue.”

Memorial Auditorium would be rebuilt next to the currently under-construction Dallas Convention Center, while Bibb said the Oak Cliff practice facility is now under construction after a year of delays by the city, which led to the team taking over the project.

“Barring any unforeseen circumstance or really bad luck with weather, we’ll open that facility on time in April of 2027,” Bibb said.

Of their 22 home games in 2026, three will be played at the AAC, and with the Wings planning to play there in 2027, some have asked: Why not just move in permanently? Bibb said the AAC is great, but not the right fit for the team or what they agreed to.

“The American Airlines Center is a phenomenal building. We’ve loved playing there. We’re looking forward to playing there again this year and, again, hopefully for an extended stay next summer. However, that building creates challenges for us,” Bibb said.

Those challenges include scheduling conflicts in the 2028 through 2030 seasons, while the Mavericks and Stars still plan to occupy the AAC. The NHL and NBA scheduled overlap with the beginning and end of the WNBA schedule. The Mavs and Stars plan to leave after the 2030 season for new homes in North Dallas and Plano, respectively.

“Compared to the Dallas Memorial Auditorium, where we’ll be the number one major primary tenant and therefore have the scheduling priority, at the American Airlines Center, we would be third or fourth in priority,” Bibb said. “Our ability to get dates, good dates, to maximize the opportunity for our fans and our players and our business would be limited.”

The Wings would also not have a dedicated locker room until the other two tenants moved out. “We would also not have the economics that we will have in our deal with the Memorial Auditorium that we negotiated when we signed our deal with the city of Dallas,” Bibb added. The Mavs and Stars both cited economics as reasons for leaving the AAC.

Bibb said the Wings want their new home to remain in Downtown Dallas despite all the recent news.

“We need to get a timeline established in terms of when that building will be ready for us. We agreed to a one-year delay from 26 to 27. We then agreed to a second one- year delay from 27 to 28, but we need the building ready in 2028,” Bibb said. “If it’s not ready in 2028, then you’re looking at a three-year-plus delay to the delivery of a building that we are contractually obligated to come to play in, and the city is contractually obligated to deliver. So it’s our intention to be there in 2028.”

The Wings said they also will not be staying at College Park Center much longer, either.

“We saw that the WNBA was growing; we saw that our building situation here in Arlington was not going to be sufficient for the economics of our business. It was not gonna be big enough to meet the demand for our game,” Bibb said.

Bibb wants the city of Dallas to deliver on their commitment, regardless of what happens with the Mavs and the Stars.

“We just need a delivery date so we can get there because we want to be a part of downtown Dallas for the foreseeable future,” Bibb said. “We play 20 plus home games a year. We currently play in 99% capacity at College Park Center. The two games we played in Dallas last year at American Airlines Center sold out. So that kind of traffic will be delivered downtown each time the Wings play.”

Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert told NBC 5 on Thursday that the city is committed to bringing its agreements with the Wings to fruition.

“We remain focused on the delivery of our commitments to the Dallas Wings, including their new practice facility and home court in Dallas. We value our partnership with the organization and want to ensure ongoing collaboration throughout the project. We meet weekly with team officials, and those engagements will continue as we work together to bring this exciting vision to life for Dallas.”