The Dallas Wings have fired head coach Chris Koclanes after one season with the team, the franchise announced Tuesday afternoon. Koclanes was hired in December 2024 and led the team, including No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers, to a 10-34 season. This is the second season in a row that Dallas has missed the postseason.
The Dallas Wings shared the news on X, formerly Twitter, with the caption, “Chris Koclanes will not return as head coach of the Dallas Wings.”
“With new team facilities being built, a youthful roster under contract, and the rights to three first-round draft selections over the next two seasons, including a lottery pick in 2026, the Wings are well-positioned for future success,” Curt Miller, the team’s executive vice president and general manager, said in a statement. “As we enter a pivotal point in our team’s future, we felt a change in leadership at this time was best for our organization.”
Since 2018, the Wings have cycled through five head coaches, including Koclanes, and not one has stayed for longer than two seasons. In that time, they have missed the playoffs four times and made it to Round 2 just once, in 2023 under Latricia Trammell.
But after Dallas selected Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, expectations for improvement began to rise. Bueckers was set to play alongside stars like Arike Ogunbowale, DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith. But with injuries, trades and struggles on the court, the team stumbled, winning less than a quarter of their games for the second consecutive season.
“The Dallas Wings remain dedicated to their pursuit of WNBA Championships and building upon the strong culture established on and off the court,” Miller said. The team will begin searching for a new head coach immediately.