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WNBA Reporter Makes Case for Paige Bueckers Staying at UConn One More Season

There's a very compelling explanation for why UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers should stay in college for one more year instead of declaring for the WNBA Draft.

Grant Young

Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) moves the ball against USC Trojans guard Avery Howell (23) in the first half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Dec 21, 2024; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) moves the ball against USC Trojans guard Avery Howell (23) in the first half at XL Center. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

There's little question among the women's basketball community about who the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft should be.

Just about everybody agrees that UConn Huskies superstar guard Paige Bueckers is deserving of that top pick and will be the Dallas Wings' selection on draft night.

However, despite her likelihood of being the draft's top pick, Bueckers still has one more season of NCAA eligibility remaining, which means she could return to UConn for one more year if she so desires.

And during a January 7 episode of The Athletic Women's Basketball Show, WNBA reporter Sabreena Merchant explained why her "bold 2025 prediction" of Bueckers returning to UConn for one final season instead of declaring for the 2025 WNBA Draft would make sense.

"Paige Bueckers will not declare for the WNBA Draft this year," Merchant said. "First of all, she'd be locking herself into a rookie contract that is presumably worth far less than it would be if she would be drafted in 2026. So just financially, it doesn't make a ton of sense to play in the WNBA as a rookie in 2025 vs. 2026.

"Also, there's been a lot of buzz about whether Paige actually wants to go to Dallas, given the instability with that organization and political climate in Texas," Merchant continued. "Then, I don't think UConn is going to win a national title this year. So I kind of feel like, maybe one more year of Paige and Azzi [Fudd] running the band back and that's their time."

Merchant added, "If [Bueckers] were to declare this year, she's locking herself into a four-year rookie contract that averages somewhere around $85,000 per year. Whereas, the expectation is that salaries will jump significantly with the new collective bargaining agreement, so she would have the opportunity to make a lot more money on her rookie contract if she waits in college for one more year."

Merchant certainly makes a compelling case. But it's still hard to imagine that Bueckers will spurn the WNBA once again for more college basketball.

Published
Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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