ARLINGTON, Texas — Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston has been paying close attention to free agency developments around the WNBA ahead of the season. Based on what the Dallas Wings have done, she likes what she sees, even if she would prefer not to face it on opening night.
On the Post Moves podcast with Candace Parker, Boston offered her reaction to the Wings’ drafting Azzi Fudd with the No. 1 pick and the team’s aggressive free agency on the Post Moves podcast with Candace Parker.
“I was so excited,” Boston said. “It was fun seeing like Arike’s story post, but I mean, obviously Paige Bueckers and Azzi have played together, so they know how to play together. I think we all knew what was happening once Dallas got that pick, but seeing it become official, you just think about that backcourt. They have a shorthand. They don’t have to learn each other’s tendencies because they’ve already lived them for four years at UConn.”
The Wings also made significant moves in free agency, signing reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year Alanna Smith to a three-year max deal and adding veteran big Jessica Shepard on a multi-year contract — two frontcourt additions that Boston sees as impactful.
“Honestly, I think Dallas made some super big moves in free agency this year. Like the bigs that they brought in. Alanna Smith being able to stretch the floor, like with adding another shooter on the floor. I mean, it’ll be good.”
Boston’s enthusiasm came with a notable caveat. The Fever open the 2026 season against Dallas on May 9.
“Hopefully not against my Fever girls,” Boston said. “You know, we open up the season with them, too, so I can’t wait. It’s going to be a test right away. You want to see where you stand, and playing against a team that just reloaded like that? That’s as good a measuring stick as you’re going to get in this league.”
What Aliyah Boston Sees in the Dallas Wings’ Frontcourt
Alanna Smith, the reigning co-Defensive Player of the Year, shoots well enough from the perimeter to punish defenses that sag off her — creating driving lanes for Bueckers and Ogunbowale, along with open catch-and-shoot opportunities for Fudd. Jessica Shepard brings a different but equally valuable dimension — a reliable finisher around the rim who can also orchestrate in dribble handoffs and make an impact in pick-and-roll. Additionally, Li Yueru‘s catch-and-shoot ability at the five, and the Wings’ frontcourt is constructed specifically to stretch the floor and create problems for opposing defenses.
“I liked what Dallas did, especially with the post,” Boston said. “I think having post players that stretched the floor — with a Paige, with Azzi, with an Arike — like put some pressure on some teams.”
Boston went further, explaining precisely what that pressure looks like from a defender’s perspective. It requires the split-second decision of having to choose between helping off of Smith as the low defender to pressure a finish at the rim by one of the Wings’ guards at the expense of potentially giving up a spray-out pass, or staying home and risking giving up a high percentage look by the guard in the paint.
“When you have Alanna or Jess Shepard out there, you can’t just sit in the paint,” Boston said. “If you’re a post player like me, you want to be there to help on Arike or Paige when they get downhill. But if you leave Alanna to help, she’s knocking that down. It forces you to make a choice every single possession. That’s the pressure they’re putting on the rest of the league now.”
Boston’s read from the outside mirrors Miller’s blueprint from the inside almost exactly. Miller described the vision for integrating Shepard and Smith with Dallas Hoops Journal ahead of training camp.
“When you look at this roster — Paige, Arike, Azzi, along with the front line — it’s going to be tough to guard us,” Miller told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Now you add Jess and Alanna and involve them in pick-and-roll situations with Paige, it’s going to open up a lot for Arike and Azzi on the perimeter.”
The May 9 Opener Looms
Boston’s excitement about Dallas’ offseason was tempered only by the reality that the Fever are the ones who have to face it first. Indiana opens the 2026 WNBA season against the Wings on Saturday, May 9, at 12 p.m. CT.
The Fever return Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, and Boston herself, with a roster built around competing for a championship. The Wings counter with Bueckers, Fudd, Ogunbowale, Smith, Shepard, and a deep bench of veterans.
