In the WNBA GM survey released on Tuesday, ESPN’s Michael Voepel reported that Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers got the most votes as the player WNBA general managers would pick if they were starting a franchise today.
Bueckers collected 33% of the vote compared to Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson who each received 20% of the votes. It’s no major slight to Clark, as Bueckers is a rising superstar in her own regard. Plus, it’s a compliment to receive the same percentage of votes as four-time WNBA MVP and three-time WNBA champion A’ja Wilson.
Still, that news will surely shock some Clark, Indiana Fever and WNBA fans out there. Clark has a strong argument as the proper player to pick, given her two-time WNBA All-Star status, her 2024 All-WNBA First Team nod and her 2024 Rookie of the Year honors.
Clark averaged 19.2 points, 8.4 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game on 41.7% field goal shooting and 34.4% 3-point shooting during her rookie campaign with the Indiana Fever in 2024. But, injuries limited Clark to just 13 games played last season.
While these votes were likely cast with strictly on-court performance in mind, another argument for Clark that’s hard to ignore is the financial windfall that Clark’s presence brings a franchise. Since Clark was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, the Indiana Fever’s franchise valuation has increased by 522%, meaning the team is now worth six times as much as they were before it drafted Clark.
The Fever were also outside the top three most likely teams to win the 2026 WNBA championship, per the WNBA GM survey. The Las Vegas Aces received 40% of the votes as the team most likely to win the title in 2026, followed by the New York Liberty (33%) and Atlanta Dream (27%).
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: WNBA GM survey picks Bueckers over Caitlin Clark to start franchise