The Dallas Wings will be severely shorthanded when they play the red-hot Indiana Fever led by the Big 3 of Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston on Thursday.
Dallas already lost Azzi Fudd, as the team announced on Wednesday that the No. 1 pick of the 2026 WNBA Draft will miss the remainder of the season to address her knee injury. Fudd “will undergo an arthroscopic procedure to address ongoing right knee soreness.”
Fudd is scheduled to undergo the operation in Connecticut early next week. She will then immediately begin her rehab.
Prior to being ruled out for the rest of the campaign, Fudd missed the Wings’ past five games due to the issue. Dallas won just once during that span.
Chris Jones-Imagn Images
In addition to Fudd, the Wings will also be without Aziaha James, who continues to recover from a lower left leg issue. James was able to join the Wings’ practice on Wednesday, but it seems she’s not yet ready to return to action.
James has not played in the Wings’ last two games, last appearing in the team’s Aug. 12 showdown with the Toronto Tempo.
The 23-year-old guard is averaging 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game for Dallas this season, serving as a reliable backup option. James also scored 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting from deep in the Wings’ season-opening win against the Fever.
Sure enough, things aren’t looking optimistic for Dallas, especially with two key players missing. It’s worth noting that without Fudd and James, the Wings lost to the Fever in their meeting last week.
