Almost as soon as it was announced the Dallas Wings had been awarded the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft, whispers about Paige Bueckers' desire to play in Texas began to circulate. Bueckers, who has been the presumed top 2025 pick essentially since she began playing for UConn, has done little to fan the flames or to put them out — but it's possible she's letting her effort on the court speak for her.
Back in 2004, NFL superstar Eli Manning was slated to be picked as the first overall pick in the league's draft. But there was a problem: Manning wasn't remotely interested in playing for the San Diego Chargers — and he told them so. Manning got his way and ended up on the New York Giants instead, and there are some in the basketball sphere who believe Bueckers might be angling for a similar scenario for herself.
The idea that a potential WNBA pick could be willingly eschewing being the top pick might be difficult to swallow, especially since the league still doesn't have enough spots as it does talent to fill teams, and regularly waives players soon after they're drafted, but Bueckers is no average hooper. Despite not having led UConn to a national championship (yet), she's clearly an excellent player (and Caitlin Clark has more than proven a natty isn't necessary to be one of the best), even if she hasn't always been behaving like one lately.
The case for and against Paige Bueckers as the No. 1 WNBA Draft pick
When you look at Bueckers' entire collegiate career, it's still tough to dispute the idea that she will be the first overall pick in this year's draft. Though her stats this year might not be as flashy as others on the court, she's also playing for a coach who doesn't prioritize flash over being great, and Bueckers was never meant to be UConn's only offensive weapon (as opposed to the dynamic between Coach Niele and Hannah Hidalgo at Notre Dame).
Her stats alone make the case for her. Bueckers has never shot below 52% from the floor and has a career 3-point percentage of 42%. If teams are drafting for overall skill level (which they typically are), Bueckers is still by and large the best choice the Dallas Wings could make.
Detractors have pointed out that this season hasn't been Bueckers' best, and have in particular pointed to the fact that she hasn't consistently been in the top 20 scorers in the country. But once you remove the underclassman on the list and account for Bueckers' playmaking abilities and her size (she's 6'0"), that specific train of thought becomes less relevant to the overall conversation.
March Madness will reveal all
As it typically does, March Madness will likely reveal everything we need to know about Bueckers and her draft position. If she's simply in a slump now, she's likely to pull out of it in time to help UConn go as far as they possibly can — and it's clear that she's hungry for a championship before leaving the school for good.