WNBA GMs picked Paige Bueckers over Caitlin Clark as the player they'd start a franchise with — 47% to Clark's 33%. A...

The W's GMs have spoken and the headline isn't kind to Clark. In the league's annual survey, 47% of GMs picked Paige Bueckers as the player they'd start a franchise with right now. Clark got 33%. A'ja Wilson came in third. Last year Clark was the runaway pick. This year she's not even in the top two.

The stated reasons for Bueckers: two-way play, lockdown perimeter defense, fewer durability questions. The unstated reason: Clark missed half of last season with multiple soft-tissue injuries — quad, ankle, groin — and GMs are spooked by it. As one analyst put it: 'They think she's injury-prone now.' Clark's averaging 19.2 / 5.0 / 8.4 across the two seasons she's been healthy.

The rest of the survey: A'ja Wilson is the MVP favorite at 67%. The Aces are the title pick. Liberty are the East favorite. Indiana is fifth in title odds, behind Vegas, NY, Minnesota, and Phoenix. The Bueckers-Clark debate is now officially live, and they meet on a court Saturday.