Caitlin Clark has done it again, but this time to her team’s disadvantage, as per a certain NBA legend. The first-overall pick had a sluggish start to the season, but after the Olympics break, capitalized on her talent. The Christie Sides-coached team found their rhythm soon and made their way into the WNBA playoffs, a feat they hadn’t achieved since 2016. But if a certain NBA legend is to be believed, then Clark’s exceptional display will be proved to be harmful to the Indiana Fever in the long run.

Jeff Teague was present on the ‘Club 520 podcast’ on Thursday when he opined on who could have been the missing link for the Indianapolis-based franchise and how Clark’s decent performances let a golden opportunity slip out of their hands. “They really f**ked it up, bro. She should have been sad. They could have got one more piece. I think they was on their way at the beginning of this year. They would got the number on pick again,” Teague stated.

“But see we would have not tried because we don’t need Paige coz we got the better one already there,” DJ Wells broke in. “Who?,” B-Hen asked. “Caitlin Clark,” Wells answered.

The Indiana Fever got the number-one picks in consecutive seasons: Aliyah Boston in 2023 and Caitlin Clark in 2024. Despite bagging Boston, the Fever finished on the 10th spot with a 0.325 PCYT in 2023 which got them the chance to get the number one pick this season, and if the Fever had performed abysmally, then they would have gotten another chance at the number one pick in 2025. That would have been a dream for fans as the UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers is projected as the top pick in many mock drafts. But alas, Clark’s performances propelled the Fever to the playoffs, who now occupy the sixth spot.

Clark became the first rookie to have two triple-doubles to her name. Her brilliant on-song performances helped her win the Player of the Week award for two consecutive weeks in August, apart from becoming the first rookie to have a Player of the Month award. Currently, the Des Moines-born averages 19.5 points with 5.7 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game. And thus it ruined the possibility of Bueckers pairing with Clark. But then who could Bueckers go with?

Could Paige Bueckers land on the West Coast?

As of now, the Los Angeles Sparks are placed at the last spot in the WNBA rankings and have a 44.2% chance of picking up the number one athlete. They have a paltry 7-32 tally and are placed 6th in the Western Conference with 0.179 PCT. Thus Bueckers, who had left the 2024 draft, deciding to pursue her dreams of winning an NCAA title with the Huskies, might be the top pick as predicted by many analysts. However, this is if there are no last-minute changes to the lottery with the inclusion of an expansion team.

The WNBA announced the inclusion of a new franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, in October 2023. From that point onwards, there were rumors that the Bay Area team would have a chance to take the number one pick. Though none of it was confirmed, Bueckers during the reveal of the name, logo, and colorway of the Valkyries, tweeted on X, applauding their color schemes. Next, the Huskies star could be found donning purple, lavender, or its adjacent colors during the ESPYs and practicing with the players of the brother franchise of Valkyries – the Golden State Warriors, especially Stephen Curry. This was interpreted by many fans as if Bueckers was hinting towards joining the new franchise.

Now that Teague has recommended that Clark has ruined the chances of Bueckers joining the Fever, only time will tell who will join the golden rookie of Indianapolis and where her co-Freshman of the Year will settle.