Not a lot of teams have it as bad as the Dallas Wings right now. Even though they drafted the right player, Paige Bueckers, the Wings still find themselves somewhere near the bottom of the entire WNBA! And it’s not like their young core isn’t impressive—Paige Bueckers, Arike Ogunbowale, and DiJonai Carrington are a menacing unit—but injuries have kept them shorthanded. They’re already missing Tyasha Harris and Maddy Siegrist, and the Ogunbowale-Carrington duo has been struggling too.
Basically, Chris Koclanes’ team needed to bring in some back-up, and they ended up signing quite a familiar face! Grace Berger, the seventh overall pick in the 2023 draft, has been going from team to team, trying to cement her place in the WNBA this year. And now that she has landed in Dallas on a seven-day hardship contract? We’re expecting some big things from the six-foot-tall guard. So far, she has averaged 3.8 points, 1.6 assists, and 1.5 rebounds per outing across 48 total games played in her WNBA career.
Berger was ecstatic about signing with Dallas in a recent interview with Dallas Hoops Journal, saying, “They already have a lot of really great players and talent on the floor.” She added, “They’re an up-and-coming team that’s getting better as the season goes on. So I just want to be myself and bring what I bring to the game—handling the ball, shooting, defensively—anything I can do to help the team, I’ll do.” The situation with the Wings roster, while unfortunate, might give the Indiana University alumna some space to shine.
Welcome, Grace!
We have signed guard Grace Berger to a seven-day hardship contract. pic.twitter.com/4KBjDkiJdY
— Dallas Wings (@DallasWings) July 16, 2025
However, this acquisition isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Dallas is a backcourt-dominant team with a lot of exciting young talent. Adding Berger means extending their guard rotation, a move that fans may not necessarily agree with. Further, they have a lot of questions about this roster update and what it might mean for Paige Bueckers moving forward. Let’s find out exactly what they’re saying!
Fans raise concerns about Paige Bueckers’ latest teammate
It might be an understatement to say that Dallas isn’t having the best season so far, sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 6-16 win-loss record. While Paige Bueckers has been phenomenal, averaging 18.3 points and 5.4 assists per game, it’s evident that the team is struggling to find its identity. Not to mention, injuries and international tournaments like the EuroBasket have stopped them from being at full strength so far. However, Chris Koclanes and Curt Miller’s most recent roster move has fans scratching their heads in confusion.
The thing is that Grace Berger is a guard. She’s a dynamic ball handler with a lot of size, can finish around the rim, and brings a bit of veteran experience onto the team. However, the fact remains that Dallas has many high-quality developing guards. So much so that Paige Bueckers doesn’t even play the one on certain nights.
Fans, as expected, had their fair share of concerns after Dallas signed Berger. “ANOTHER GUARD WHILE MY GOAT PLAYS OUT OF POSITION.” A user said on X, criticizing Koclanes’ decision to alternate between Quinerly and Jones at the one instead of Paige Bueckers. It was a relatively common sentiment, as supporters questioned why exactly Dallas needed another guard. “Yall be signing anybody, ngl…,” another fan commented, criticizing the organization for this questionable decision.
Not many fans have an issue with Berger as a player. While she’s never gotten solid minutes in her career so far, we’ve all seen her college tapes. And she can hoop! But the question that’s rising is about her fit with the Wings. “I like Grace but yall did not need her!!!!” a fan pointed out on X, while another agreed, using sarcasm to criticize the Wings. “Just what they need another guard.”
It will be interesting to see how Dallas deals with all of the criticism, as one fan said on social media, “I’ve not seen any team more confused with their signings like the wings!” And when you look at the roster transactions this year, this sentiment holds. A week before the Berger signing, they signed Haley Jones to a rest-of-season contract. A day prior to that, they waived F Liatu King, who was signed back on June 27 to a rest-of-season contract.
Among others, they acquired C Li Yueru from Seattle in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick and waived G/F Kaila Charles. So when you look at such a movement in the roster, it is difficult to understand what the head coach is trying to do.
It’s clear that the front office is being placed under a lot of scrutiny right now, and it makes a lot of sense. Rebuilds are always rough, both for the fans and for the organization. But can Dallas make a solid recovery and justify the vision behind this signing? Only time will tell.
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