WNBA GMs pick Bueckers over Clark to start a franchise

The annual WNBA GM survey came out and the headline number is a vibe shift. Asked who you'd take to launch a franchise today, 33% of GMs picked Paige Bueckers. Caitlin Clark got 20%. A'ja Wilson rounded out the top three. A year ago, Clark won the exact same question with 50% of the vote and Bueckers wasn't even mentioned.

The reason isn't a mystery. Bueckers won Rookie of the Year in 2025, averaged 19.2 points and 5.4 assists in 36 games on 47.7% shooting, and looked like a 10-year All-Star from October. Clark played 13 games. A quad strain stole most of her sophomore season, and the league moved on faster than anyone expected — at least at the GM level.

It's not a referendum on Clark's ceiling. It's a vote on availability and certainty. GMs build rosters around what they can count on, and what they could count on last year was Bueckers. Both players open the season this weekend. Saturday in Indianapolis, Clark gets Bueckers head-to-head with the four most recent No. 1 picks all on the floor. The survey just made it the most-watched preseason game in WNBA history.