# 2023 Dallas Wings season

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. On November 7, 2022, the Wings announced that Trammell would be the new head coach for the organization.
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

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

### Transactions

| Date | Transaction |
| September 19, 2022 | Fired Head Coach Vickie Johnson |
| November 7, 2022 | Hired Latricia Trammell as Head Coach |
| November 17, 2022 | Hired Brandi Poole as Assistant Coach |
| January 9, 2023 | Hired April Schilling and Courtney Paris as Assistant Coaches |
| January 11, 2023 | Extended Qualifying Offers to Marina Mabrey and Teaira McCowan |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| February 1, 2023 | Signed Teaira McCowan to a 3-Year Deal |
| February 1, 2023 | Full Season Contract Suspension of Bella Alarie |
| February 2, 2023 | Signed Crystal Dangerfield to a 2-Year Deal |
| February 2, 2023 | 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 |
| February 22, 2023 | Exercised the 4th Year Option on Awak Kuier |
| February 28, 2023 | Signed Kitija Laksa |
| 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 |
| May 15, 2023 | Waived Abby Meyers |
| May 16, 2023 | Declined Team Option on Charli Collier |
| May 17, 2023 | Waived Kalani Brown and Charli Collier |
| May 30, 2023 | Signed Kalani Brown to a Hardship Contract |
| June 2, 2023 | Temporarily suspended the contract of Teaira McCowan due to Overseas Commitments |
| June 6, 2023 | Signed Odyssey Sims to a Hardship Contract |
| June 15, 2023 | Released Odyssey Sims from the Hardship Contract |
| June 20, 2023 | Activated Teaira McCowan from her temporary contract suspension due to Overseas Commitments |
| June 28, 2023 | Signed Odyssey Sims |
| June 28, 2023 | Waived Jasmine Dickey and Ashley Joens |
| June 28, 2023 | Released Kalani Brown from her Hardship Contract |
| June 29, 2023 | Signed Kalani Brown to a Hardship Contract |
| August 6, 2023 | Signed Ashley Joens to a 7-Day Contract |

### Roster Changes
## 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

2023 pre-season game log Total: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1) :
May: 1–1 (Home: 1–0; Road: 0–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 5
Chicago
W 75–70
Teaira McCowan (17)
Howard McCowan (8)
Burton Dangerfield (4)
College Park Center 2,004
1–0
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 :
2023 pre-season schedule :

### Regular Season

2023 game log Total: 22–18 (Home: 11–9; Road: 11–9) :
May: 3–1 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
1
May 20
Atlanta
W 85–78
Arike Ogunbowale (27)
Natasha Howard (10)
Howard Sabally (3)
College Park Center 5,588
1–0
2
May 26
@ Seattle
W 95–91
Arike Ogunbowale (26)
Satou Sabally (10)
Arike Ogunbowale (6)
Climate Pledge Arena 8,277
2–0
3
May 28
@ Chicago
L 88–94
Arike Ogunbowale (27)
Satou Sabally (8)
Veronica Burton (6)
Wintrust Arena 6,042
2–1
4
May 30
Minnesota
W 94–89
Natasha Howard (25)
Satou Sabally (11)
Veronica Burton (9)
College Park Center 3,484
3–1 :
June
: 4–7 (Home: 3–2; Road: 1–5)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
5
June 2
@ Washington
L 74–75
Ogunbowale Sabally (18)
Satou Sabally (14)
Satou Sabally (7)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 3,294
3–2
6
June 4
@ Connecticut
L 74–80
Satou Sabally (26)
Satou Sabally (14)
Veronica Burton (7)
Mohegan Sun Arena 5,012
3–3
7
June 7
Phoenix
W 84–79
Satou Sabally (24)
Kalani Brown (15)
Odyssey Sims (6)
College Park Center 4,242
4–3
8
June 9
Phoenix
W 90–77
Arike Ogunbowale (35)
Satou Sabally (16)
Odyssey Sims (7)
College Park Center 6,251
5–3
9
June 11
@ New York
L 93–102
Arike Ogunbowale (25)
Satou Sabally (11)
Odyssey Sims (8)
Barclays Center 7,615
5–4
10
June 14
Los Angeles
L 61–79
Kalani Brown (21)
Satou Sabally (13)
Burton Sabally (4)
College Park Center 5,807
5–5
11
June 17
Seattle
L 103–109
Arike Ogunbowale (41)
Natasha Howard (10)
Satou Sabally (5)
College Park Center 5,020
5–6
12
June 20
Atlanta
W 85–73
Natasha Howard (23)
Kalani Brown (14)
Crystal Dangerfield (5)
College Park Center 3,392
6–6
13
June 23
@ Los Angeles
L 74–76
Natasha Howard (23)
Natasha Howard (12)
Arike Ogunbowale (4)
Crypto.com Arena 5,766
6–7
14
June 25
@ Los Angeles
L 83–93
Crystal Dangerfield (18)
Teaira McCowan (9)
Arike Ogunbowale (8)
Crypto.com Arena 6,380
6–8
15
June 27
@ Phoenix
W 77–62
Arike Ogunbowale (23)
Satou Sabally (12)
Satou Sabally (6)
Footprint Center 5,652
7–8 :
July
: 7–3 (Home: 4–1; Road: 3–2)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
16
July 2
Washington
W 89–72
Satou Sabally (27)
Satou Sabally (15)
Arike Ogunbowale (5)
College Park Center 4,544
8–8
17
July 5
@ Las Vegas
L 82–89
Natasha Howard (32)
Natasha Howard (13)
Arike Ogunbowale (7)
Michelob Ultra Arena 10,177
8–9
18
July 7
Las Vegas
W 80–78
Arike Ogunbowale (21)
Teaira McCowan (12)
Crystal Dangerfield (6)
College Park Center 6,251
9–9
19
July 9
@ Indiana
W 77–76
Arike Ogunbowale (28)
Natasha Howard (8)
Howard McCowan Sims (5)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse 3,612
10–9
20
July 12
@ Minnesota
W 107–67
Natasha Howard (28)
Natasha Howard (14)
Arike Ogunbowale (11)
Target Center 13,531
11–9
21
July 19
@ New York
W 98–88
Arike Ogunbowale (25)
Teaira McCowan (12)
Dangerfield Sabally (7)
Barclays Center 9,012
12–9
22
July 22
Los Angeles
W 98–84
Natasha Howard (28)
Howard Sabally (11)
Dangerfield Sabally (6)
College Park Center 5,041
13–9
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
24
July 28
Washington
W 90–62
McCowan Ogunbowale (18)
Satou Sabally (11)
Satou Sabally (10)
College Park Center 4,048
14–10
25
July 30
@ Las Vegas
L 91–104
Teaira McCowan (25)
Teaira McCowan (14)
Arike Ogunbowale (5)
Michelob Ultra Arena 10,213
14–11 :
August
: 5–5 (Home: 1–4; Road: 4–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
26
August 2
@ Seattle
W 76–65
Arike Ogunbowale (27)
Natasha Howard (12)
Dangerfield Ogunbowale (4)
Climate Pledge Arena 7,421
15–11
27
August 4
Chicago
L 89–104
Natasha Howard (28)
Natasha Howard (12)
Natasha Howard (11)
College Park Center 3,762
15–12
28
August 6
Chicago
L 96–104
Satou Sabally (25)
Teaira McCowan (9)
Satou Sabally (8)
College Park Center 4,057
15–13
29
August 8
Las Vegas
L 84–104
Satou Sabally (21)
Kalani Brown (7)
Veronica Burton (5)
College Park Center 5,193
15–14
30
August 12
Connecticut
W 91–81
Satou Sabally (28)
Satou Sabally (8)
Teaira McCowan (6)
College Park Center 4,179
16–14
31
August 18
@ Connecticut
W 95–75
Arike Ogunbowale (30)
Teaira McCowan (11)
Satou Sabally (5)
Mohegan Sun Arena 6,584
17–14
32
August 20
@ Washington
W 97–84
Arike Ogunbowale (17)
Teaira McCowan (13)
Satou Sabally (10)
Entertainment and Sports Arena 4,200
18–14
33
August 22
@ Minnesota
L 86–91
Satou Sabally (22)
Teaira McCowan (16)
Ogunbowale Sabally (7)
Target Center 6,921
18–15
34
August 24
Minnesota
L 81–90
Teaira McCowan (23)
Teaira McCowan (18)
Brown Dangerfield (4)
College Park Center 3,931
18–16
35
August 27
@ Phoenix
W 77–74
Arike Ogunbowale (29)
Awak Kuier (9)
Natasha Howard (3)
Footprint Center 12,163
19–16 :
September
: 3–2 (Home: 1–2; Road: 2–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceRecord
36
September 1
@ Indiana
W 110–100
Satou Sabally (40)
Burton Sabally (7)
Veronica Burton (8)
Gainbridge Fieldhouse 3,137
20–16
37
September 3
Indiana
L 84–97 (OT)
Ogunbowale Sabally (22)
Teaira McCowan (10)
Satou Sabally (5)
College Park Center 5,058
20–17
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
39
September 8
Seattle
W 106–91
Natasha Howard (23)
Howard McCowan (9)
Arike Ogunbowale (10)
College Park Center 4,546
21–18
40
September 10
@ Atlanta
W 94–77
Arike Ogunbowale (32)
Teaira McCowan (10)
Arike Ogunbowale (6)
Gateway Center Arena 3,207
22–18 :
2023 season schedule :

### Playoffs

2023 playoff game log :
First Round vs. Atlanta Won Series: 2–0
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
September 15
Atlanta
W 94–82
Satou Sabally (32)
Teaira McCowan (14)
Arike Ogunbowale (7)
College Park Center 5,053
1–0
2
September 19
Atlanta
W 101–74
Arike Ogunbowale (24)
Teaira McCowan (16)
Arike Ogunbowale (7)
College Park Center 4,798
2–0 :
Second Round vs. Las Vegas Lost Series: 0–3
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation AttendanceSeries
1
September 24
@ Las Vegas
L 83–97
Satou Sabally (16)
Teaira McCowan (8)
Satou Sabally (7)
Michelob Ultra Arena 9,784
0–1
2
September 26
@ Las Vegas
L 84–91
Arike Ogunbowale (24)
Howard McCowan (10)
Odyssey Sims (5)
Michelob Ultra Arena 9,286
0–2
3
September 29
Las Vegas
L 61–64
Arike Ogunbowale (18)
Teaira McCowan (15)
Veronica Burton (6)
College Park Center 6,251
0–3 :
2023 playoff schedule :

## Standings

| # | Team vte | W | L | PCT | GB | Conf. | Home | Road | Cup |
| 1 | x – Las Vegas Aces | 34 | 6 | .850 | – | 18–2 | 19–1 | 15–5 | 9–1 |
| 2 | x – New York Liberty | 32 | 8 | .800 | 2 | 16–4 | 15–5 | 17–3 | 7–3 |
| 3 | x – Connecticut Sun | 27 | 13 | .675 | 7 | 14–6 | 13–7 | 14–6 | 7–3 |
| 4 | x – Dallas Wings | 22 | 18 | .550 | 12 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 6–4 |
| 5 | x – Atlanta Dream | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 11–9 | 11–9 | 8–12 | 6–4 |
| 6 | x – Minnesota Lynx | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 12–8 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 5–5 |
| 7 | x – Washington Mystics | 19 | 21 | .475 | 15 | 9–11 | 12–8 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
| 8 | x – Chicago Sky | 18 | 22 | .450 | 16 | 5–15 | 7–13 | 11–9 | 3–7 |
| 9 | e – Los Angeles Sparks | 17 | 23 | .425 | 17 | 9–11 | 10–10 | 7–13 | 5–5 |
| 10 | e – Indiana Fever | 13 | 27 | .325 | 21 | 5–15 | 6–14 | 7–13 | 2–8 |
| 11 | e – Seattle Storm | 11 | 29 | .275 | 23 | 8–12 | 4–16 | 7–13 | 4–6 |
| 12 | e – Phoenix Mercury | 9 | 31 | .225 | 25 | 2–18 | 8–12 | 1–19 | 1–9 |
Notes
    (#) – League Standing
    x – Clinched playoff berth
    e – Eliminated from postseason contention
    Source: Overall standings and Commissioner's Cup Standings

## Playoffs

| Round One: Best-of-3 | Round One: Best-of-3 | Round One: Best-of-3 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Semifinals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 | Finals: Best-of-5 |
| 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 2 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Chicago Sky | 0 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Chicago Sky | 0 | 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Dallas Wings | 0 | | | |
| 4 | Dallas Wings | 2 | 4 | Dallas Wings | 0 | | | |
| 5 | Atlanta Dream | 0 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Atlanta Dream | 0 | | | | 1 | Las Vegas Aces | 3 |
| | | | | | | 2 | New York Liberty | 1 |
| 2 | New York Liberty | 2 | | | | | | | 2 | New York Liberty | 1 |
| 7 | Washington Mystics | 0 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Washington Mystics | 0 | 2 | New York Liberty | 3 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | | | |
| 3 | Connecticut Sun | 2 | 3 | Connecticut Sun | 1 | | | |
| 6 | Minnesota Lynx | 1 | | | | | | |
Bold Series winner

## 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 |
| Arike Ogunbowale | Western Conference Player of the Week | May 30 |
| Arike Ogunbowale | Player of the Month - May | June 2 |
| Arike Ogunbowale | WNBA All-Star Starter | June 25 |
| Satou Sabally | Western Conference Player of the Week | June 13 |
| Satou Sabally | WNBA All-Star Starter | June 25 |
| Satou Sabally | Most Improved Player | September 21 |
| Satou Sabally | All-WNBA First Team | October 15 |
| Natasha Howard | Western Conference Player of the Week | July 13 |