The Dallas Wings drafted former UConn star Azzi Fudd on Monday to pair her with last year’s No. 1 pick Paige Bueckers, another former Huskies stalwart. As most analysts predicted, the Wings would take in the player most familiar with Bueckers’ game.
After becoming the top pick of this year’s draft, Fudd answered when asked about reuniting with Bueckers and becoming part of the Wings’ core (via Landon Thomas):
“Pure excitement. I can’t wait. Obviously, Paige, Arike, getting to watch them and then seeing the new pieces, I’m so excited. I can’t wait to get there. I can’t wait to learn how to play with them, learn how they play, their style of play, and how I can contribute.
Azzi Fudd will have no problem fitting around for Paige Bueckers after doing so for multiple years with the Huskies under the legendary Geno Auriemma. Fudd’s next step will be adapting to the style of Wings new coach, Jose Fernandez, and her teammates.
Fudd doesn’t have to wonder where she can contribute for the Wings in her rookie campaign. Last season, the Wings sorely lacked efficient shooting, even with Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale in the lineup. They hit 30.4% from deep, the second-worst in the WNBA.
With Azzi Fudd, a career 42.2% shooter from 3-point distance in college, expect the Wings’ efficiency to get a boost. Fudd shot 43.6% during the 2024-25 season and 44.7% in her final collegiate campaign with the Huskies.
The Wings aren’t just reuniting former UConn teammates, they are forming again one of the deadliest guard combos in the NCAA for years.
Azzi Fudd Already Has Ideas on How To Help Paige Bueckers in Dallas
Azzi Fudd is arguably the best shooter among the prospects heading into the 2026 WNBA draft. The Wings’ reasons for getting her were quite obvious, but she stated what else she could bring to the team in the post-draft interview (via Landon Thomas):
“I’m a great shooter, but I think something special is that I know how to space the floor, I know how to read the game. I know how to do what my team needs. Whether that’s spacing, cutting, or ball movement. Whatever it is, I’m gonna do that.”
Wings CEO Greg Bibb told the media that they were picking Fudd because “she is such a great fit.”
Dallas also signed in free agency Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard, 6-foot-4 players who can play center or forward. With the addition of both, GM Curt Miller said that adding Fudd to a backcourt that already has Paige Bueckers and Arike Ogunbowale was the crystal clear choice.
Fudd knows where and what she can contribute, ideas shared by the executives who drafted her.
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