Chris Koclanes Fired as Wings HC After Going 10-34 in 1st Season with Paige Bueckers

Chris Koclanes is out after one season as head coach of the Dallas Wings.

The Wings announced the news on Tuesday after finishing the 2025 campaign with a 10-34 record, just one win better than 2024 despite the addition of star rookie Paige Bueckers.

Koclanes previously spent four years as an assistant coach for the Connecticut Sun, one with the Los Angeles Sparks and one with USC women's basketball before joining the Wings ahead of the 2025 season.

The Wings will now be seeking their third head coach in as many years. The franchise fired former coach Latricia Trammell after going 9-31 and missing the playoffs in 2024.

Dallas then hired former Sparks coach Curt Miller as general manager and executive vice president of basketball operations ahead of the 2025 season.

Miller went on to hire Koclanes, whom he previously worked with in Connecticut, in December before drafting Bueckers with the No. 1 pick in April.

Bueckers lived up to her draft hype during her first WNBA season, winning an almost unanimous Rookie of the Year Award after leading the Wings with 19.2 points, 5.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

But Koclanes and the Wings overall fell short of expectations as the franchise was unable to take a step toward postseason contention in 2025.

Koclanes will not get a chance to try again with another top young prospect next season. The Wings currently boast 40 percent odds of winning the WNBA draft lottery for the second spring in a row, per Tankathon.

The Wings mentioned that draft pick, as well as the franchise's recent start of construction on a new practice facility set to open ahead of the 2026 season, as reasons the franchise decided on a fresh start at head coach.

"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," Miller 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."

The Wings will "immediately" begin searching for a new head coach, according to the team.

Whoever takes over in Dallas will be expected to help shape a more competitive team around Bueckers when she returns for her second WNBA season next spring.