Azzi Fudd Undergoes Surgery, Latest News on Wings Star's Injury Status Amid Knee Issue

The Dallas Wings announced Wednesday that rookie guard Azzi Fudd will have season-ending surgery on her right knee.

The team said the procedure is intended to alleviate "right knee soreness" and will be performed next week.

Fudd had been out of the lineup since Dallas' 96-92 loss to the Washington Mystics on Aug. 5.

The No. 1 overall pick wraps up her rookie year having appeared in 30 games. She averaged 13.1 points and shot 39.7 percent from beyond the arc.

Fudd's durability was a concern coming into the pros. In her five years at UConn, she only had two fully healthy seasons, and her right knee has been particularly troublesome. She tore her right ACL and MCL in high school and then again as a junior with the Huskies.

Yet another right knee issue cutting Fudd's season short is about the worst-case scenario because of the larger questions it raises.

In the meantime, the Wings are focused on locking down a playoff spot. Dallas is sitting in eighth in the league standings and has a 4.5-game lead on the ninth-place Portland Fire with eight games to play.

Games often slow down in the postseason, so floor-spacing is at even more of a premium. Fudd figured to be a valuable piece for coach Jose Fernandez in that regard.

Especially if the Wings get matched up against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx, pulling off an upset now becomes even more difficult.