The Dallas Wings have fired head coach Chris Koclanes after one season, the team announced Tuesday.
Koclanes, who was hired by Dallas executive vice president and general manager Curt Miller after serving as an assistant coach under Miller with the Los Angeles Sparks, took over a team expecting to improve dramatically after drafting Paige Bueckers with the No. 1 overall pick and acquiring DiJonai Carrington and NaLyssa Smith as part of a four-team trade before the season.
Instead, the Wings finished tied for the WNBA’s worst record at 10-34 (.227), a virtually identical winning percentage to their 9-31 finish (.225) under former coach Latricia Trammell in 2024. Carrington and Smith were traded again during the season.
“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,” Miller said in a statement released by the team. “The Dallas Wings remain dedicated to their pursuit of WNBA championships and building upon the strong culture established on and off the court.”
The performance of Bueckers, who was named Rookie of the Year and voted an All-Star starter, was a bright spot in Koclanes’ brief tenure. Bueckers averaged 19.2 PPG and 5.4 APG in her first WNBA season, ranking fifth all-time in rookie scoring.
Dallas dealt with a series of injuries, with only one player, veteran forward Myisha Hines-Allen, playing at least 40 of the season’s 44 games. The Wings used 18 starting lineups, tied with the New York Liberty for the most in the WNBA this season, according to Basketball-Reference.com. Amid that turnover, Dallas’ defense was a persistent issue, ranking 12th of 13 teams in defensive rating.
Koclanes is the third WNBA coach to be fired since the end of the regular season, joining the New York Liberty’s Sandy Brondello and Seattle Storm’s Noelle Quinn. The expansion Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo are also searching for head coaches ahead of their inaugural seasons.