Arike Ogunbowale Free Agency Odds: Does the Paige Bueckers Era Push Her Out?

By Christopher Boan

Mar 30th, 2026 12:32 PM EDT

Can the Wings keep Ogunbowale long-term? (USATODAY)

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Now that the WNBA’s CBA has been ratified and the threat of a lockout is gone, it’s time to turn our attention towards the league’s 30th season, which tips off at US betting apps on May 8.  

Before then though, the league’s cornerstone players like Arike Ogunbowale will need to find a team to call their own, as the veteran out of Notre Dame is one of the most compelling free agents of 2026. 

With that in mind, Bookies.com compiled hypothetical odds on where Ogunbowale will go next, with the Wings holding commanding odds of keeping her long-term.  

Arike Ogunbowale Next Team Odds (2026 Season)

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Where Will Arike Ogunbowale Go Next?

No free agent storyline in 2026 carries more genuine tension than Arike Ogunbowale. The Wings' franchise cornerstone since 2019, Ogunbowale is entering free agency at the exact moment Dallas is reorienting around Paige Bueckers, the No. 1 pick who arrived last season and immediately shifted the organizational hierarchy.  

Ogunbowale struggled in 2025, posting career lows in scoring and shooting efficiency while navigating a fit that never fully clicked. The Wings' front office has signaled it wants her back, and Ogunbowale has been engaged in those conversations -- but the expansion arrivals of the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, plus a hungry Chicago Sky, give her more legitimate options than any previous offseason. Our odds make Dallas a moderate favorite, but this board is the closest call of the three. 

Still, with RotoWire.com estimating that Ogunbowale will earn $1.1 million with whichever team signs her as a recipient of the WNBA’s new ‘Veteran Max’ tier, the four-time All-Star guard could price herself out of joining another team, given the league’s $7 million salary cap.  

That’s part of the reason why we’re giving Ogunbowale’s current team such commanding odds, but also because Dallas needs a star to complement Bueckers’ rise, potentially following in the footsteps of the Indiana Fever, who went from the league’s basement to WNBA Semifinals in 2025.  

Where Could Arike Ogunbowale Go?  

Should Ogunbowale leave the Lone Star State, keep an eye on the free-spending Chicago Sky, who are our top outside contender at +350 (or 22.2%), while the expansion Portland Fire check in at +400.  

Given that the WNBA’s expansion draft for the Fire and Toronto Tempo is slated for Friday, Portland might have excess cash to splash around, which could help them land a top-tier free agent like Ogunbowale.  

Should Portland whiff on her, though, there’s a shot that their fellow expansion mates from north of the border could, with Toronto checking in at +450 for similar reasons to the Fire.  

Outside of those clubs, keep an eye on the Atlanta Dream (+700) and the aforementioned Fever (+900) in the Ogunbowale sweepstakes, as both teams look to build on promising seasons, with Atlanta going 30-14 and finishing with the league’s third-best record, while Indiana was 24-20, four games better than where they finished the year before and 11 wins more than the year before that.  

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