Caitlin Clark will not make an announcement about her future until the end of the current season. She may decide to return to Iowa for a fifth and final season of college basketball. She may turn pro.
Her decision will change the entire landscape of the 2024 WNBA Draft either way. It will be interesting to see how other athletes in similar positions approach the process while waiting for Clark to declare her intentions.
Michael Voepel of ESPN released his updated mock draft on Thursday. Four of the top five picks could look completely different if the Hawkeyes are able to retain their superstar point guard.
Assuming that Caitlin Clark declares for the draft pool as expected, she will go No. 1 overall. There is no doubt about it. Everything else is up in the air.
- Indiana Fever — Caitlin Clark
- Los Angeles Sparks — Cameron Brink
- Phoenix Mercury — Paige Bueckers
- Seattle Storm — Kamilla Cardoso
- Dallas Wings — Rickea Jackson
- Washington Mystics — Aaliyah Edwards
- Minnesota Lynx — Alissa Pili
- Atlanta Dream — Angel Reese
- Dallas Wings — Georgia Amoore
- Connecticut Sun — Nyadiew Puoch
Amoore, Reese, Edwards, Cardoso, Bueckers, Brink and Clark could all choose to play another year on the collegiate level. That’s 70% of the top 10.
And one major decision could cause quite a few dominoes to fall.
If Clark chooses to return to Iowa, Brink becomes the top prospect in this year’s draft. However, she doesn’t fit the Fever lineup in the same way as Clark. Would another team trade up to get her at No. 1?
If Clark doesn’t go pro, Bueckers becomes be the top guard in this year’s class. She technically has two years of eligibility left at UConn. Would she be more inclined to leave Storrs and turn pro if there is a chance to go No. 1?
Cardoso, a 6-foot-7 center, is in a similar spot. If Clark and Bueckers return to college, both of the top-two prospects are bigs. If Brink goes back to Stanford, Cardoso would be the top prospect overall. It would be hard to turn down that opportunity for another season at South Carolina.
The list continues with Edwards and Reese. LSU’s superstar forward has a better chance at going top five if Clark and others stay in college. She might be more inclined to improve her draft stock with another year in Baton Rouge if they don’t.
All of this goes to say that there is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the top 10 picks in the upcoming WNBA Draft. We know what team will be picking where, but we don’t know who will be available.
Clark’s decision could will change the outlook for the whole first round.