Bigger Building, Bigger Bar: Wings Head to the AAC in 2027, and Curt Miller's Winter Starts With Awak Kuier

By Danielle "Dee" Ortiz, RF Sports Radio WNBA voice

Wings fans, eight days before the draft lottery that Dallas will watch from the outside, the franchise's offseason story is coming into focus. The building is getting bigger. The roster has to get better. And the first domino is a 6-foot-6 rim protector entering restricted free agency.

The facts

Wings CEO Greg Bibb told KERA's NTX Now that the team will play all of its home games at American Airlines Center next season, going from a little over 6,000 seats at UTA's College Park Center to nearly 20,000. "We've simply outgrown the building," Bibb said, adding the team has essentially sold out for three consecutive years. Memorial Auditorium remains the long-term plan once renovations are complete, but Bibb said that timeline is unclear.

On the roster, general manager Curt Miller told The IX that retaining Awak Kuier is "absolutely" a priority. "She's a priority," Miller said, noting that restricted free agency gives the incumbent team advantages but that there will be a lot of interest. Miller called Kuier, who led the WNBA in block percentage, the best rim protector in the league this season. He named defense as the biggest growth area after Dallas ranked sixth in defensive rating during a 27-17 season, and said the Wings hold two first-round picks.

The 2027 Draft Lottery airs Sunday, Nov. 15, on ESPN, per the league, with Houston, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Toronto and Washington in the drawing. Dallas is not, because it made the playoffs. Jessica Shepard, the league's Most Improved Player, has been floated as a trade candidate in Swish Appeal coverage; that is media speculation, not a reported deal.

RF Sports Radio's take (opinion)

My take: the AAC move raises the stakes for this front office. You do not triple your seat count to sell a team that loses in the first round again. Twenty thousand seats means Dallas has to be a contender, not just a feel-good story built around Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd.

That is why Kuier is the right first priority. Miller is correct: defense is the gap, and you do not find a 6-foot-6 shot-blocker who shoots nearly 40 percent from three in free agency every winter. Match any offer sheet. Do not negotiate against yourself in public, and do not let another team set her price.

On Shepard, I would be careful. Trading your Most Improved Player for cap room only works if the cap room becomes a better player. Otherwise it is just a subtraction with a press release.

Opinion: this winter should be judged on one thing. Does the 2027 Wings defense look like it belongs in a 20,000-seat arena?

What to watch next

Watch the Nov. 15 lottery for trade-up chatter around the league and any movement on Kuier's restricted free agency. For Friday's lottery column, read our Nov. 6 lottery column, and follow the winter on our WNBA Playoffs page.

Radio question: with the AAC move coming, should the Wings pay whatever it takes to keep Awak Kuier, even if it costs them Jessica Shepard?

Sources: KERA - Dallas Wings CEO says team has outgrown its arena, looks forward to the AAC; The IX Basketball - Wings GM Curt Miller talks 2026 season, offseason focus; NBA Communications / WNBA - 2027 Draft Lottery Nov 15 on ESPN; Swish Appeal - Will award winners be on the move in offseason trades?.