The WNBA's Wings can't shield Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd from relationship questions forever

The biggest storyline coming out of Monday night's WNBA Draft wasn't just that the Dallas Wings landed another No. 1 overall pick in Azzi Fudd. It was that Fudd, a now-former star at Connecticut, is dating the Wings' superstar franchise player, Paige Bueckers, who also played at Connecticut.

"Pazzi" (as fans affectionately call the couple) has reunited.

And because it's getting so much attention, it also opened the door for a lot of people — many of whom don't really follow women's basketball — to jump in with takes that don't hold up.

The biggest one is that Dallas took Fudd No. 1 just because of her relationship with Bueckers.

That's just not true.
 

Fudd was going to be a top pick no matter who had the No. 1 selection. You don't put together a college career like she did — one of the most efficient scorers in UConn history, nearly 50/45/95 shooting splits, Final Four Most Outstanding Player — and suddenly become a fraud because of who you're dating.

She also fits perfectly into the Wings' roster based on their position needs.

Dallas already has Arike Ogunbowale and Paige Bueckers running the offense, so what they really need around them is space. Fudd gives them exactly that. She's one of the best off-ball shooters to come into the league in a long time.

After adding Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard in free agency, they didn't need a big.

And sure, the chemistry with Bueckers is a bonus.

Now, all that said, we still need to talk about what happened at Fudd's introductory press conference on Thursday. Because that's when things got awkward.

A reporter asked Fudd a pretty reasonable question.

"Paige announced last year on TikTok that y’all were a couple," the reporter said. "And I’m wondering if that’s still the case, and if so, if y’all have talked to other couples in the league about how they negotiate that dynamic as pro teammates?"

Before Fudd could answer, Wings PR stepped in.

"I understand why you have to ask that question, but we’re going to respectfully decline from commenting on our players' personal lives," the rep said.

Look, I understand the instinct there. Teams want to protect their players, and generally speaking, an athlete's dating life isn't something that needs to be dissected in a press conference.

But when your significant other is also your franchise player and starting backcourt partner, it's a story.

And the question wasn't intrusive or inappropriate, either. The reporter wasn't fishing for gossip. He was asking about how two players might navigate being both teammates and partners at the highest level.

And by shutting it down immediately, the Wings actually made it a bigger deal than it needed to be.

If Fudd answers that question herself, gives a quick, polished response and pivots back to basketball, it probably doesn't go anywhere. Address it once, and we can all move on.

Instead, the PR intervention became the story. And it's all over our news feeds.

Realistically, Fudd could have handled that in about 10 seconds.

We're both professionals. I'm really excited to share the court with Paige again. We won a national championship together in 2025. Let's run it back here in Dallas.

Easy.

And that's where the Wings might need to adjust their approach, because this isn't something they’re going to be able to shield their players from forever.

This relationship is public. We all already know about it. Fudd and Bueckers attended Monday's draft arm-in-arm, for goodness' sake.

Of course, you don't have to make it the focal point of every media session, but trying to completely shut it down isn't realistic, either. Especially as the league continues to grow.

With the new CBA bringing in bigger salaries and more visibility, these players are stepping into a much larger spotlight. And with that spotlight comes more coverage, more interest, and yes, occasionally questions that might sometimes be a little uncomfortable.

That's part of the deal.

The Wings don't need to lean into this romantic relationship, and they don't need to make it a sideshow. But letting their players handle those moments naturally would probably go a lot further than trying to shut them down entirely.

Because right now, that approach is making it look like a scandal when it's not.