Full Breakdown
Dallas Wings Sign Kitija Laksa After Azzi Fudd’s Season-Ending Knee Injury
8/27/2026, 12:05:59 AM
Injury to Azzi Fudd Triggers Roster Move
A knee injury has forced rookie guard Azzi Fudd to miss the remainder of the WNBA season. The injury qualified the Dallas Wings for a Season-Ending Injury Exception, a mechanism that permits teams to add a replacement player without exceeding roster limits.
Dallas Wings Seek Playoff Push
The Wings have struggled, losing seven of their last eleven games and slipping to eighth place in the league standings. Despite the slide, the team needs only a single victory over the Portland Fire to secure its first playoff berth in three years. The roster addition is intended to bolster the wing’s shooting depth as the regular season concludes.
Kitija Laksa Profile and Fit
The Wings signed guard Kitija Laksa to a rest-of-season contract. Laksa, 30, previously played under Wings head coach José Fernández at the University of South Florida, where she averaged 17.8 points per game across four seasons. Drafted 11th overall by the Seattle Storm in 2020, Laksa did not debut in the league until 2025. In her most recent professional stint with the Phoenix Mercury, she converted 31.7 % of her three-point attempts. While at South Florida, she shot “nearly 40 %” from beyond the arc, underscoring her reputation as a perimeter threat. The pre-existing coach-player relationship is expected to ease her integration into Dallas’ system.
Implications for Playoff Chances
Laksa’s three-point shooting ability directly addresses the Wings’ need for reliable perimeter scoring after Fudd’s loss. If she can replicate her near-40 % college shooting and maintain the 31.7 % rate from last season, the Wings gain a viable option to stretch defenses in the final stretch. Securing the win against Portland would lock the franchise’s first postseason appearance since 2021, giving the team a chance to evaluate Laksa’s impact in a potential playoff environment.
