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Much like Caitlin Clark before her, Paige Bueckers is expected to be a transformational type player for the WNBA. Bueckers, who led the UConn Huskers to a national championship this season, is a generational-type prospect whose career was briefly sidetracked by multiple torn ACLs. But she rebounded this year and yet again showed that she can be a franchise-altering player.
However, before Bueckers can join the Dallas Wings as the first pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, she’s already agreed to sign her first pro contract elsewhere. Kendra Andrews of ESPN reports that Bueckers is set to a sign a three-year deal with the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league.
Paige Bueckers Signs Unrivaled Contract That Pays For More Than The WNBA
But there’s even worse news for the WNBA. While Bueckers’ Unrivaled schedule won’t conflict with her playing in the W, her salary may make life difficult for the league.
“Bueckers’ first-year salary for the 10-week Unrivaled season will exceed what she would make in four years of her WNBA rookie contract,” Andrews reports. “If Bueckers is the top pick in the draft, she is set to earn $78,831 in her first year, according to the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement.”
The WNBA is currently in the final year of its current CBA with players. A new CBA, coupled with a new television rights deal, could well mean higher rookie salaries for players starting in 2026. That’s why, in part, UConn star Azzi Fudd, who led the Huskies in scoring in the Final Four, passed on the WNBA Draft for another year in college.
“I think I have to sit down and talk with my family, with the people closest to me, and just talk through the decisions, options,” Fudd told ESPN’s Alexa Philippou prior to her decision. “I’m a big pros and cons list-er to kind of get the emotions out, the feelings out, and just write down the facts. So I think a pros and cons list is in my near future.”
Apparently, the cons outweighed the pros when it came to going pro. Which, paired with the emerging Unrivaled league, spells trouble for the WNBA.