The championship culture the Dallas Wings aim to build may not lead to immediate championship results.

Wings general manager Curt Miller said as much on Thursday after a training camp practice in Arlington.

“I hope there’s a little bit of grace with this team and with this coaching staff in May because when we get to Game 1, we will not have been together very long [and we’ll be] playing against teams that are not only together, but have been together for years, ” Miller said. “As I’ve been constantly saying, our team will look a lot different in July than they do in May.”

The Wings started training camp on Sunday, giving the team and new coach Jose Fernandez just 20 days to prepare for the season opener at the Indiana Fever on May 9. Dallas, which initially listed 22 players on its training camp roster, has until May 7 to trim that number down to 14 — 12 active players with two additional development spots. The Wings brought in several new pieces in 2026 and made their first cuts on Wednesday, waiving guard Shyanne Sellers and forward Grace Sullivan.

But Dallas’ challenges go beyond the time crunch.

“We’ve got some big pieces that we’re going to count on [and] they’re not here yet,” Fernandez said Thursday.

All-Star guard Arike Ogunbowale and free agency pick-up Jessica Shepard — two of the highest paid players on the roster and both signed to multi-year deals— are finishing up overseas basketball commitments and likely won’t arrive until early next week at the latest, Miller said. 

Awak Kuier, the second overall pick in 2021 who has sat out WNBA play since after the 2023 season, has finished her overseas commitments and is currently in her home country of Finland, where she’s awaiting her appointment with the consulate. Miller said the Wings don’t have an exact date for her arrival. 

“Four of our top eight players going into this season are not in the building today,” Miller said Thursday.

Fernandez said the staff has shared everything that has been implemented with all of the players who are away. And in the meantime, the Wings can lean on the strength of their 2025 No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers and returners such as forward Maddy Siegrist, a first-round pick in 2023. Dallas also picked up Alysha Clark and Odyssey Sims, two tenured players who bring veteran leadership.