Caitlin Clark or Paige Bueckers? WNBA GMs offer surprising answer

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark is the WNBA's most popular player, but not the one all general managers would want as a franchise cornerstone. 

Michaela Gilmer of the WNBA's website published the annual GM survey on Tuesday, in which she posed questions heading into the upcoming season (which tips off on Friday). The site asked these 15 executives if they were starting a team and could sign any player in the league, who would it be? Surprisingly, Clark wasn't the No. 1 answer.

Who would GMs rather build around than Caitlin Clark?

Dallas Wings second-year guard Paige Bueckers received the most votes in the survey (five). Clark tied for second with Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson (three). Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga (pick No. 2 of the 2025 WNBA Draft) came in third (two votes).

Their reasoning for picking Bueckers over Clark remains unclear. The survey didn't include quotes that would've provided more intel.

Perhaps it's a case of recency bias. 2025 No. 1 pick Bueckers won Rookie of the Year after averaging 19.2 points per game on an outstanding 47.7 percent shooting from the field and logging 5.4 assists per game in 36 games. Clark, meanwhile, battled groin and ankle issues, limiting her to 13 games. 

After Clark won 2024 ROY, GMs offered a different answer to the same question. She was tabbed as the player they'd most like to have as an organization's keystone in the 2025 survey following her historic rookie year. She was the first rookie in WNBA history to record a triple-double and set a rookie record for three-pointers made (122 in 40 games).

Ultimately, whoever GMs or fans prefer comes down to personal taste. Both sharpshooting guards are 24 and on the verge of launching their franchises into perennial championship contention. If Clark or Bueckers leads their team to a title first, that would help one of the guards distance themselves in this argument. 

Clark is clearly the most well-known player in the league. Is she viewed as a linchpin for all franchises? Well, it appears the answer to that question is much more debatable. Multiple GMs would rather have Bueckers, which offers more food for thought.