The Dallas Wings appear all-but guaranteed to select Paige Bueckers after landing the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft – but the star guard’s departure from UConn is not a foregone conclusion as many believe.

On Sunday, the Wings sent shockwaves across the WNBA after securing the first overall pick in the league’s Draft lottery, despite the Los Angeles Sparks boasting better odds to obtain the selection. While fans in Dallas are already lining up to purchase Bueckers’ jersey, it seems as though the 23-year-old is less than thrilled about the potential landing spot.

According to ESPN’s Michael Voepel, Bueckers had a “preferred” WNBA landing spot entering the draft lottery. “Sources around the league have indicated that the Los Angeles Sparks, who got the No. 2 pick in the lottery, would have been Bueckers’ preferred option,” he wrote.

“Like the Wings, the Sparks also currently don’t have a head coach. But Los Angeles is a gigantic market and a team that could also have used a guard like Bueckers.”

It remains to be seen if Bueckers would consider holding out of the 2025 WNBA Draft simply because she doesn’t see herself as a good fit on the Wings. Should she want to, however, the opportunity is there for her.

Thanks to her COVID-19 2020-21 waiver, Bueckers still has one more year of college eligibility after the 2024-25 campaign – though all signs currently point to her entering the WNBA Draft following this season.

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Paige Bueckers is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft

Paige Bueckers is expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft ( 

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Back in February, Bueckers announced that she’d be returning to UConn for her redshirt senior season. When asked about her decision to rejoin the Huskies as opposed to turning pro, she told SNY at the time: “Just the family camaraderie here, just loving it here, loving my teammates, loving my coaches, me not having the four years that I planned on, not being able to play as much.

“I just feel like I’m not done yet here. I feel like God is still writing my story here. I’m just blessed to be a part of this program, and I never want it to end.”

Bueckers actively stands as one of the biggest names in college sports on the heels of being named a 2024 WBCA, AP, and USBWA First Team All-American. She’s picked up right where she left off this season, averaging 21.3 points, four assists and 3.7 rebounds through three games.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Bueckers, however. The 2021 Naismith Player of the Year played in only 17 games during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns after suffering a knee injury and torn ACL.

Despite routinely dominating at the collegiate level when healthy, Bueckers still hasn’t managed to win an elusive National Title with UConn. That may change this year, as the No. 2 seed Huskies actively stand as one of the favorites to win a National Championship in March, trailing only South Carolina in the nation’s rankings.