As UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers averages 21.3 points per game, voices only get louder about her being the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA draft. The 2021 National Player of the Year, has gotten up time and again to prove her worth against the adversities. But now she heads towards the big stage, for a team in the fix, the expectations from the fans mount for the same, dismissing her recently revealed team of choice.

Projected no.1, Paige is likely to land with the Dallas Wings who won the WNBA draft lottery pick this Sunday. But if it were up to the 23-year-old UConn star, the LA Sparks — the team initially expected to win the no.1 pick — would reportedly be her choice.

According to ESPN’s sources, “The LA Sparks were reportedly Paige Bueckers’ preferred destination, per @MAVoepel. Sources around the league have indicated that the Los Angeles Sparks, who got the No. 2 pick in the lottery,” read the post on X. While the reasons aren’t clear, Bueckers, Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson forming a trio could have been the sight to behold.

But now, it seems a distant possibility. And the fans aren’t thrilled Bueckers voiced her preferences, emphasizing that a player with great caliber should be able to make any team their own, blind to the current standings.

Expectations hoarded on Paige Bueckers after her alleged preference comes to light

Despite having lower chances of getting the No. 1 draft pick at the lottery, the Wings secured the coveted spot, thanks in part to their trade last year. While many seemed disappointed with the outcome, some believe it to be a chance for Bueckers to prove her capabilities, lifting the team that finished 11th in the standings this year. Much like Caitlin Clark did for the Indiana Fever, taking them to their first playoffs in 8 years and drawing in the largest crowd in the league.

“I don’t wanna hear that… if you’re the franchise changer people think you are, go to Dallas and turn it all around. We just watched Caitlin Clark go to basement-dwelling Indiana and turn them into the Basketball capital of the WNBA (in terms of play and financial business),” penned a user on X.

The sentiment was common among the fans who believe and expect Bueckers to bring in the impact regardless of the team she lands in.“Paige IS the market, though, right? Like Clark, I’d expect lines to wrap around the block to get into any arena she’s playing in, and for her to lift the Wings to the playoffs and more,” one opined.

Paige already has an NIL valuation of $1.4 million, boosting about five million followers across all social media platforms. Nike, Gatorade, Crocs, and numerous more frame her portfolio already. And if that wasn’t enough, she also signed an NIL deal with the 3×3 league, Unrivaled in August. So her brand is a given and fans believe she would be capable to witness the return just as Caitlin was, no matter the city.

“Paige gonna take the league by storm like CC.” 

As for her on court performance, Bueckers was a sensation stepping into the college basketball scenes. She lived up to it, leading UConn in points (20.0), assists (5.8), steals (2.3) and three-point field goal percentage (46.4%) in her freshman year and winning numerous accolades, including  the Wooden Award. Having already proven that, it mustn’t be a task in the pro, to go by fans’ sentiments.

“The great ones MAKE their team great regardless, not the other way around.” 

The Dallas Wings last won the title in 2008 and have struggled to get past the 1st round of playoffs since. The most they got to, was the semi-finals last year. But an injury-plagued roster would derail their hopes in 2024, landing them 11th with a 9-28 record. They currently have a star player in Arike Ogunbowale, and with Natasha Howard leaving, they have quite the task in building their core. But Paige could fix the point guard position for them and help strengthen the backcourt. This could single-handed boost the franchise’s chances and that’s the role fans envision for Bueckers.

“It doesn’t matter where you are. If you are a needle mover you can change the landscape of your team.”

The UConn Huskies #5 is currently averaging 21.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4 assists in her final college basketball season. Sue Bird sees the newness in her. “People are following her… when I saw that, I was like, ‘Oh, we’re good to go,'” she conveyed. Despite their bitterness, it is what fans see too, the potential and the caliber. So whatever team she lands in, a spectacle is a given.