2023 Dallas Wings season explained

The 2023 Dallas Wings season was the franchise's 26th season in the Women's National Basketball Association and the 8th season for the franchise in Dallas - after relocating from Tulsa and Detroit. This was the first season under head coach Latricia Trammell.

On September 19, 2022, the Wings announced that they would not renew the contract of head coach Vickie Johnson, effectively firing her.^[1] On November 7, 2022, the Wings announced that Trammell would be the new head coach for the organization.^[2]

The season began well, with the Wings winning their first two games and finishing 3–1 in the opening month of May. However, their good run of form did not carry over into June as they lost their first two games, before winning their next two. The team then went on a three game losing streak, and only managed to win two of their final four games in the month after the losing streak. The Wings finished June 4–7 overall, and three of those four wins came against Phoenix. The Wings turned things around in July where they won six of their first seven games in the month, including being only the second team to defeat the Las Vegas Aces at the time. They would lose two of their last three games, but finish July with a 7–3 record. August became a mixed bag for the team as they won their first game but then went on a three game losing streak. They followed this with a three game winning streak before losing two of their last three games to finish the month 5–5. After starting September with a win over the Indiana Fever, Dallas secured a playoff spot. After securing this spot, they lost their next two games. However, they won their last two games of the season to finish September 3–2. The Wings finished with an overall regular season record of 22–18. Their 22 regular season wins were a franchise best in Dallas, and best since 2008, when the franchise was still located in Detroit.

With their 22–18 record, Dallas was the fourth seed in the 2023 WNBA Playoffs. They would face off against the Atlanta Dream in the first round, with the first two games of the series being held in Dallas. In a back-and-forth game one, Dallas had a big fourth quarter and won the game 94–82. Game two began close, but the Wings dominated the second and fourth quarters to win 101–74 to sweep the first round series 2 games to 0. In the second round, the Wings faced off against the first-seeded Las Vegas Aces. The first two games of the five game series were in Las Vegas. Game one started as a tight affair, with Dallas trailing by only four points at halftime, but the Aces dominated the third quarter and won the game 91–84. In game two the Wings trailed for most of the game but mounted a comeback that fell short, losing 84–91. The series then moved to Dallas for a must-win game three for the Wings. Dallas took a five-point lead into halftime, but couldn't hold on in the second half losing 61–64 to end their season.

Transactions

WNBA draft

See also: 2023 WNBA draft.

Round	Pick	Player	School/Team/Country	Nationality
1	3	Maddy Siegrist		Villanova
1	5	Lou Lopez Sénéchal	/
1	11	Abby Meyers		Maryland
2	19	Ashley Joens		Iowa State
3	31	Paige Robinson		Illinois State

Transactions

Date	Transaction
September 19, 2022	Fired Head Coach Vickie Johnson^[3]
November 7, 2022	Hired Latricia Trammell as Head Coach^[4]
November 17, 2022	Hired Brandi Poole as Assistant Coach^[5]
January 9, 2023	Hired April Schilling and Courtney Paris as Assistant Coaches^[6]
January 11, 2023	Extended Qualifying Offers to Marina Mabrey and Teaira McCowan^[7]
January 16, 2023	Traded Kayla Thornton to the New York Liberty in exchange for Natasha Howard and Crystal Dangerfield, as part of a 3-Team Trade. The Wings also traded Tyasha Harris to the Connecticut Sun.^[8]
January 21, 2023	Traded Allisha Gray to the Atlanta Dream in exchange for the #3 Overall Pick in the 2023 WNBA draft and a First-Round Pick in 2025^[9]
February 1, 2023	Signed Teaira McCowan to a 3-Year Deal^[10]
	Full Season Contract Suspension of Bella Alarie
February 2, 2023	Signed Crystal Dangerfield to a 2-Year Deal^[11]
	Signed Kalani Brown to a Training Camp Contract
February 11, 2023	Acquired Diamond DeShields, a 2023 First-Round Pick (from Chicago), a 2024 First-Round Pick (from Chicago), and the right to swap 2025 First-Round Picks (from Chicago) in a 4-Team Trade involving the Chicago Sky, New York Liberty, and Phoenix Mercury^[12]
February 22, 2023	Exercised the 4th Year Option on Awak Kuier
February 28, 2023	Signed Kitija Laksa^[13]
April 12, 2023	Signed Maddy Siegrist to a Rookie Scale Contract
April 13, 2023	Signed Lou Lopez Sénéchal and Abby Meyers to Rookie Scale Contracts
April 15, 2023	Signed Ashley Joens to a Rookie Scale Contract
May 10, 2023	Suspended the contract of Kitija Laksa for the full season due to Overseas Commitments^[14]
May 15, 2023	Waived Abby Meyers^[15]
May 16, 2023	Declined Team Option on Charli Collier
May 17, 2023	Waived Kalani Brown and Charli Collier^[16]
May 30, 2023	Signed Kalani Brown to a Hardship Contract^[17]
June 2, 2023	Temporarily suspended the contract of Teaira McCowan due to Overseas Commitments
June 6, 2023	Signed Odyssey Sims to a Hardship Contract^[18] ^[19]
June 15, 2023	Released Odyssey Sims from the Hardship Contract^[20]
June 20, 2023	Activated Teaira McCowan from her temporary contract suspension due to Overseas Commitments
June 28, 2023	Signed Odyssey Sims^[21]
	Waived Jasmine Dickey and Ashley Joens
	Released Kalani Brown from her Hardship Contract
June 29, 2023	Signed Kalani Brown to a Hardship Contract^[22]
August 6, 2023	Signed Ashley Joens to a 7-Day Contract^[23]

Roster Changes

Additions

Personnel	Signed/Trade	Former Team
Natasha Howard	Trade	New York Liberty
Crystal Dangerfield	Trade	New York Liberty
Diamond DeShields	Trade	Phoenix Mercury
Kalani Brown	Free Agency	Maccabi Bnot Ashdod
Lou Lopez Sénéchal	Draft Pick	2023 Draft Pick
Maddy Siegrist	Draft Pick	2023 Draft Pick
Odyssey Sims	Free Agency	Connecticut Sun

Subtractions

Personnel	Reason	New Team
Kayla Thornton	Traded	New York Liberty
Tyasha Harris	Traded	Connecticut Sun
Allisha Gray	Traded	Atlanta Dream
Isabelle Harrison	Free Agency	Chicago Sky
Marina Mabrey	Trade	Chicago Sky
Charli Collier	Waived	-
Jasmine Dickey	Waived	-

Roster

Depth

Pos.	Starter	Bench
	PG	Crystal Dangerfield	Veronica Burton Odyssey Sims
	SG	Arike Ogunbowale	Lou Lopez Sénéchal
	SF	Satou Sabally	Diamond DeShields
	PF	Natasha Howard	Awak Kuier Maddy Siegrist
	C	Teaira McCowan	Kalani Brown

Schedule

Preseason

|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 1| May 5| Chicago| W 75–70| Teaira McCowan (17)| Howard
McCowan (8)| Burton
Dangerfield (4)| College Park Center
2,004| 1–0|- style="background:#fcc;"| 2| May 13| @ Indiana| L 83–90| Ogunbowale
Sabally (18)| Satou Sabally (9)| Burton
Howard
McCowan
Ogunbowale
Sabally (3)| Gainbridge Fieldhouse
2,084| 1–1

Regular Season

|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 1| May 20| Atlanta| W 85–78| Arike Ogunbowale (27)| Natasha Howard (10)| Howard
Sabally (3)| College Park Center
5,588| 1–0|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 2| May 26| @ Seattle| W 95–91| Arike Ogunbowale (26)| Satou Sabally (10)| Arike Ogunbowale (6)| Climate Pledge Arena
8,277| 2–0|- style="background:#fcc;"| 3| May 28| @ Chicago| L 88–94| Arike Ogunbowale (27)| Satou Sabally (8)| Veronica Burton (6)| Wintrust Arena
6,042| 2–1|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 4| May 30| Minnesota| W 94–89| Natasha Howard (25)| Satou Sabally (11)| Veronica Burton (9)| College Park Center
3,484| 3–1|- style="background:#fcc;"| 5| June 2| @ Washington| L 74–75| Ogunbowale
Sabally (18)| Satou Sabally (14)| Satou Sabally (7)| Entertainment and Sports Arena
3,294| 3–2|- style="background:#fcc;"| 6| June 4| @ Connecticut| L 74–80| Satou Sabally (26)| Satou Sabally (14)| Veronica Burton (7)| Mohegan Sun Arena
5,012| 3–3|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 7| June 7| Phoenix| W 84–79| Satou Sabally (24)| Kalani Brown (15)| Odyssey Sims (6)| College Park Center
4,242| 4–3|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 8| June 9| Phoenix| W 90–77| Arike Ogunbowale (35)| Satou Sabally (16)| Odyssey Sims (7)| College Park Center
6,251| 5–3|- style="background:#fcc;"| 9| June 11| @ New York| L 93–102| Arike Ogunbowale (25)| Satou Sabally (11)| Odyssey Sims (8)| Barclays Center
7,615| 5–4|- style="background:#fcc;"| 10| June 14| Los Angeles| L 61–79| Kalani Brown (21)| Satou Sabally (13)| Burton
Sabally (4)| College Park Center
5,807| 5–5|- style="background:#fcc;"| 11| June 17| Seattle| L 103–109| Arike Ogunbowale (41)| Natasha Howard (10)| Satou Sabally (5)| College Park Center
5,020| 5–6|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 12| June 20| Atlanta| W 85–73| Natasha Howard (23)| Kalani Brown (14)| Crystal Dangerfield (5)| College Park Center
3,392| 6–6|- style="background:#fcc"| 13| June 23| @ Los Angeles| L 74–76| Natasha Howard (23)| Natasha Howard (12)| Arike Ogunbowale (4)| Crypto.com Arena
5,766| 6–7|- style="background:#fcc;"| 14| June 25| @ Los Angeles| L 83–93| Crystal Dangerfield (18)| Teaira McCowan (9)| Arike Ogunbowale (8)| Crypto.com Arena
6,380| 6–8|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 15| June 27| @ Phoenix| W 77–62| Arike Ogunbowale (23)| Satou Sabally (12)| Satou Sabally (6)| Footprint Center
5,652| 7–8|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 16| July 2| Washington| W 89–72| Satou Sabally (27)| Satou Sabally (15)| Arike Ogunbowale (5)| College Park Center
4,544| 8–8|- style="background:#fcc"| 17| July 5| @ Las Vegas| L 82–89| Natasha Howard (32)| Natasha Howard (13)| Arike Ogunbowale (7)| Michelob Ultra Arena
10,177| 8–9|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 18| July 7| Las Vegas| W 80–78| Arike Ogunbowale (21)| Teaira McCowan (12)| Crystal Dangerfield (6)| College Park Center
6,251| 9–9|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 19| July 9| @ Indiana| W 77–76| Arike Ogunbowale (28)| Natasha Howard (8)| Howard
McCowan
Sims (5)| Gainbridge Fieldhouse
3,612| 10–9|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 20| July 12| @ Minnesota| W 107–67| Natasha Howard (28)| Natasha Howard (14)| Arike Ogunbowale (11)| Target Center
13,531| 11–9|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 21| July 19| @ New York| W 98–88| Arike Ogunbowale (25)| Teaira McCowan (12)| Dangerfield
Sabally (7)| Barclays Center
9,012| 12–9|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 22| July 22| Los Angeles| W 98–84| Natasha Howard (28)| Howard
Sabally (11)| Dangerfield
Sabally (6)| College Park Center
5,041| 13–9|- style="background:#fcc;"| 23| July 25| Connecticut| L 83–88| Arike Ogunbowale (25)| Teaira McCowan (15)| Burton
Howard
Ogunbowale
Sabally (3)| College Park Center
4,222| 13–10|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 24| July 28| Washington| W 90–62| McCowan
Ogunbowale (18)| Satou Sabally (11)| Satou Sabally (10)| College Park Center
4,048| 14–10|- style="background:#fcc;"| 25| July 30| @ Las Vegas| L 91–104| Teaira McCowan (25)| Teaira McCowan (14)| Arike Ogunbowale (5)| Michelob Ultra Arena
10,213| 14–11|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 26| August 2| @ Seattle| W 76–65| Arike Ogunbowale (27)| Natasha Howard (12)| Dangerfield
Ogunbowale (4)| Climate Pledge Arena
7,421| 15–11|- style="background:#fcc;"| 27| August 4| Chicago| L 89–104| Natasha Howard (28)| Natasha Howard (12)| Natasha Howard (11)| College Park Center
3,762| 15–12|- style="background:#fcc;"| 28| August 6| Chicago| L 96–104| Satou Sabally (25)| Teaira McCowan (9)| Satou Sabally (8)| College Park Center
4,057| 15–13|- style="background:#fcc;"| 29| August 8| Las Vegas| L 84–104| Satou Sabally (21)| Kalani Brown (7)| Veronica Burton (5)| College Park Center
5,193| 15–14|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 30| August 12| Connecticut| W 91–81| Satou Sabally (28)| Satou Sabally (8)| Teaira McCowan (6)| College Park Center
4,179| 16–14|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 31| August 18| @ Connecticut| W 95–75| Arike Ogunbowale (30)| Teaira McCowan (11)| Satou Sabally (5)| Mohegan Sun Arena
6,584| 17–14|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 32| August 20| @ Washington| W 97–84| Arike Ogunbowale (17)| Teaira McCowan (13)| Satou Sabally (10)| Entertainment and Sports Arena
4,200| 18–14|- style="background:#fcc;"| 33| August 22| @ Minnesota| L 86–91| Satou Sabally (22)| Teaira McCowan (16)| Ogunbowale
Sabally (7)| Target Center
6,921| 18–15|- style="background:#fcc;"| 34| August 24| Minnesota| L 81–90| Teaira McCowan (23)| Teaira McCowan (18)| Brown
Dangerfield (4)| College Park Center
3,931| 18–16|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 35| August 27| @ Phoenix| W 77–74| Arike Ogunbowale (29)| Awak Kuier (9)| Natasha Howard (3)| Footprint Center
12,163| 19–16|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 36| September 1| @ Indiana| W 110–100| Satou Sabally (40)| Burton
Sabally (7)| Veronica Burton (8)| Gainbridge Fieldhouse
3,137| 20–16|- style="background:#fcc;"| 37| September 3| Indiana| L 84–97 (OT)| Ogunbowale
Sabally (22)| Teaira McCowan (10)| Satou Sabally (5)| College Park Center
5,058| 20–17|- style="background:#fcc;"| 38| September 5| New York| W 94–93| Satou Sabally (27)| Teaira McCowan (12)| Dangerfield
Howard
Ogunbowale (5)| College Park Center
4,195| 20–18|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 39| September 8| Seattle| W 106–91| Natasha Howard (23)| Howard
McCowan (9)| Arike Ogunbowale (10)| College Park Center
4,546| 21–18|- style="background:#bbffbb"| 40| September 10| @ Atlanta| W 94–77| Arike Ogunbowale (32)| Teaira McCowan (10)| Arike Ogunbowale (6)| Gateway Center Arena
3,207| 22–18|-

Playoffs

|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 1| September 15| Atlanta| W 94–82| Satou Sabally (32)| Teaira McCowan (14)| Arike Ogunbowale (7)| College Park Center
5,053| 1–0|- style="background:#bbffbb;"| 2| September 19| Atlanta| W 101–74| Arike Ogunbowale (24)| Teaira McCowan (16)| Arike Ogunbowale (7)| College Park Center
4,798| 2–0|- style="background:#fcc;"| 1| September 24| @ Las Vegas| L 83–97| Satou Sabally (16)| Teaira McCowan (8)| Satou Sabally (7)| Michelob Ultra Arena
9,784| 0–1|- style="background:#fcc;"| 2| September 26| @ Las Vegas| L 84–91| Arike Ogunbowale (24)| Howard
McCowan (10)| Odyssey Sims (5)| Michelob Ultra Arena
9,286| 0–2|- style="background:#fcc;"| 3| September 29| Las Vegas| L 61–64| Arike Ogunbowale (18)| Teaira McCowan (15)| Veronica Burton (6)| College Park Center
6,251| 0–3

Playoffs

See also: 2023 WNBA Playoffs.

Statistics

Regular Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Arike Ogunbowale	40	40	37.2	.398	.343	.876	3.4	4.5	1.7	0.1	21.2
Satou Sabally	38	38	33.1	.435	.361	.874	8.1	4.4	1.8	0.4	18.6
Natasha Howard	39	39	33.1	.458	.299	.815	8.0	2.6	1.3	1.2	16.5
Teaira McCowan	30	29	26.1	.551	.000	.586	9.1	1.5	0.5	1.2	11.9
Crystal Dangerfield	35	32	27.8	.425	.290	.815	2.9	3.1	0.9	0.2	8.2
Kalani Brown^≠	32	5	16.4	.629	.000	.802	4.5	1.0	0.2	0.7	7.8
Maddy Siegrist	39	0	8.2	.509	.333	.931	1.6	0.2	0.2	0.2	3.7
Awak Kuier	37	4	10.8	.396	.087	.778	2.5	0.5	0.2	0.6	2.6
Veronica Burton	40	13	13.9	.294	.271	.912	1.8	2.2	0.7	0.3	2.4
Jasmine Dickey^‡	14	0	6.2	.382	.000	.500	0.8	0.1	0.3	0.1	2.1
Odyssey Sims^≠	28	0	12.0	.304	.133	.550	1.3	2.2	0.4	0.0	2.0
Ashley Joens^‡	9	0	1.6	.250	.000	.250	0.2	0.0	0.1	0.0	0.3

^‡Waived/Released during the season
^†Traded during the season
^≠Acquired during the season

Playoffs

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Arike Ogunbowale	5	5	37.8	.388	.351	.643	4.8	5.2	1.6	0.0	19.6
Satou Sabally	5	5	33.6	.359	.391	.778	5.2	4.2	1.4	1.2	15.8
Natasha Howard	5	5	34.2	.364	.350	.833	8.4	2.2	1.6	1.4	12.0
Teaira McCowan	5	5	30.4	.622	0.0	.522	12.6	1.6	0.8	1.4	11.6
Odyssey Sims	5	2	18.6	.406	.333	.600	1.0	2.4	0.8	0.0	6.4
Kalani Brown	5	0	8.6	.583	0.0	.400	2.2	0.4	0.6	0.2	6.0
Crystal Dangerfield	5	3	11.6	.533	.333	1.00	1.4	1.0	0.2	0.0	4.6
Awak Kuier	5	0	10.4	.643	.286	.000	1.4	0.2	0.6	0.8	4.0
Maddy Siegrist	4	0	4.8	.667	1.0	1.0	1.0	0.0	0.3	0.0	3.5
Veronica Burton	5	0	11.0	.154	.111	.800	1.2	2.2	1.6	0.0	1.8

Awards and honors

Recipient	Award	Date awarded	Ref.
Arike Ogunbowale	Western Conference Player of the Week	May 30	^[24]
	Player of the Month - May	June 2	^[25]
	WNBA All-Star Starter	June 25	^[26]
	Western Conference Player of the Week	June 13	^[27]
	WNBA All-Star Starter	June 25
	Most Improved Player	September 21	^[28]
	All-WNBA First Team	October 15	^[29]
Natasha Howard	Western Conference Player of the Week	July 13	^[30]

External links

• Official website of the Dallas Wings

Notes and References

1. Web site: Dallas Wings Announce Coaching Change . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 20 November 2022.
2. Web site: Gonzales . Isabel . Dallas Wings hire Los Angeles Sparks assistant Latricia Trammell as next head coach . CBS Sports . 20 November 2022.
3. Web site: Voepel . M.A. . Dallas Wings fire coach Vickie Johnson despite playoff berth . ESPN.com . ESPN . 20 November 2022.
4. Web site: Dallas Wings Tab Latricia Trammell As Head Coach . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 20 November 2022.
5. Web site: Dallas Wings Name Brani Poole Assistant Coach . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 20 November 2022.
6. Web site: Dallas Wings Announce Remainder of 2023 Coaching Staff . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 12 January 2023.
7. RachGall. January 11, 2023. 1613277557029502977. The Dallas Wings have extended Qualifying Offers to Marina Mabrey and Teaira McCowan. @Winsidr.
8. Web site: Dallas Wings Acquire Natasha Howard and Crystal Dangerfield . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 17 January 2023.
9. Web site: Atlanta Dream Land Allisha Gray . dream.wnba.com . WNBA . 22 January 2023.
10. Web site: Dallas Wings Sign Teaira McCowan To Multi-Year Deal . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 3 February 2023.
11. Web site: Dallas Wings Sign Crystal Dangerfield To Multi-Year Deal & Add Former Baylor Standout Kalani Brown With Training Camp Contract . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 3 February 2023.
12. Web site: Chicago Sky Acquires Marina Mabrey in Four-Team Trade . sky.wnba.com . WNBA . 12 February 2023.
13. Web site: Dallas Wings Sign Kitija Laksa . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 9 March 2023.
14. Web site: Dallas Wings Statement on Kitija Laksa . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 13 May 2023.
15. Web site: Dallas Wings Announce Roster Transaction . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 18 May 2023.
16. Web site: Dallas Wings Announce 2023 Roster . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 18 May 2023.
17. Web site: Dallas Wings Sign Kalani Brown . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 7 June 2023.
18. RachGall. June 6, 2023. 1666212310057381888. Odyssey Sims has signed a hardship waiver with the Dallas Wings and is expected to play tomorrow night against the Mercury, sources tell @winsidr.
19. Web site: Dallas Wings Sign Odyssey Sims . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 7 June 2023.
20. Web site: Crystal Dangerfield Cleared to Return to Action . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 16 June 2023.
21. Web site: Dallas Wings Sign Odyssey Sims . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 28 June 2023.
22. Web site: Dallas Wings Sign Kalani Brown . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 29 June 2023.
23. Web site: Dallas Wings Sign Ashley Joens . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 16 August 2023.
24. WNBA. May 30, 2023. 1663623987912474626. Week 1 Players of the Week Eastern Conference: @breannastewart @nyliberty 26 PPG, 10 RPG, 3 SPG 2-1 record during the week Western Conference: @Arike_O @DallasWings 26.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.3 APG 2-1 record during the week #MoreThanGame.
25. Web site: Arike Ogunbowale Wins Kia Western Conference Player of the Month . wings.wnba.com . WNBA . 19 June 2023.
26. Web site: Brittney Griner, Aliyah Boston named WNBA All-Star starters. ESPN. M.A. Voepel. June 25, 2023. June 23, 2023.
27. WNBA. June 13, 2023. 1668655300251901952. Week 3 Players of the Week Eastern Conference: @breannastewart @nyliberty 28.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.5 BPG 2-0 Western Conference: @satou_sabally @dallaswings 19.3 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 1.3 SPG 2-1 #MoreThanGame.
28. Dallas Wings' Satou Sabally Named 2023 KIA WNBA Most Improved Player. WNBA. September 21, 2023. September 21, 2023.
29. Kia WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year A’ja Wilson and Record-Setting Alyssa Thomas Headline 2023 All-WNBA First Team. wnba.com. WNBA. October 15, 2023. October 16, 2023.
30. Web site: Natasha Howard Wins Western Conference Player of the Week. wings.wnba.com. WNBA. July 13, 2023. July 22, 2023.