Jun 27, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) brings the ball up court against the Indiana Fever during the second quarter at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Paige Bueckers Cites 'Insane' Reason WNBA Needs CBA Change

Originally posted on Women's Fastbreak on SI
By Grant Young | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 11:35 AM ET

The WNBA's current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires after this 2025 season. And the next CBA is going to set the table for how much the league can continue to grow and expand upon the massive boom in popularity that young stars like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers have played a key role in producing over the past two seasons.

Several aspects of the league require improvement, with the most notable being a significant increase in salaries. However, during her June 27 appearance on Deja Kelly's NILOSOPHY podcast, Bueckers conveyed something else that needs changing once the next CBA rolls around.

“You want the best product, so maybe extending the season,” Bueckers said during the podcast. “I know there’s gonna be more teams, so that does mean more games. So could we expand it?

"For me... and the other rookies, maybe push the [WNBA regular season] start date back a little bit. The turnaround [from the NCAA] is insane. It’s not always best for the bodies," she added.

Bueckers is referring to the fact that her final college season with the UConn Huskies concluded with them winning the 2025 NCAA national championship on April 6. She was then selected by the Dallas Wings with the No. 1 pick of the 2025 WNBA Draft on April 14, Dallas' training camp began on April 27, and their first game of the WNBA regular season was on May 16.

In other words, Bueckers (and every other rookie, every other year) essentially has to play two consecutive seasons. That's a whole lot of hooping in a short amount of time, which the next CBA could (and probably should) certainly help fix.

This article first appeared on Women's Fastbreak on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: