PAIGE BUECKERS SENDS MESSAGE TO LI YUERU AMID WINGS EXIT SPECULATION

Dallas Wings forward Li Yueru posted on Instagram in what was described as a hint at a permanent goodbye, prompting team-mate Paige Bueckers to respond with the comment "Liskiiii". Li joined the Wings last year via a trade with the Seattle Storm, who received a 2026 second-round pick and a 2027 third-round pick in return. She averaged 6.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists across 22 regular-season games in her first year with the Wings, before missing the final ten games of that season with an ACL sprain. The Wings finished that campaign with a 10-34 record.

Li signed a one-year deal worth a base salary of $277,500 after accepting a qualifying offer on 8 April, according to Spotrac. Her playing time then declined following the arrivals of forwards Alanna Smith, a co-Defensive Player of the Year for 2025, and Jessica Shephard, who averaged a double-double of 14.5 points and 11.1 rebounds in the regular season. Li's minutes fell from 20.0 per game and 12 starts in her first Wings season to 10.3 per game this season, with her output dropping to 3.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game under head coach Jose Fernandez. She had left Seattle in search of greater playing time, having averaged 8.7 minutes there the previous season.

Under Fernandez, the Wings reached the WNBA play-offs as the seventh seed, their first appearance since 2023. Li's reduced role coincided with the team's improved results, as Dallas built form around Shephard and Smith's contributions. No details have been confirmed regarding Li's future with the franchise beyond the Instagram post and Bueckers' response.