The growing uncertainty over the CBA deal is casting a huge cloud over the upcoming WNBA season. The players are getting frustrated, and Paige Bueckers’s decision to voice her annoyance ignited a surprising storm around Caitlin Clark.

“At this point it’s not really a negotiation anymore… we as players, we don’t want to have a strike, we want to have a season,” said Bueckers, regarding the negotiations.

The league is standing on stubborn ground, refusing to allow the players their desired cut. It has, however, given a boost to players with rookie contracts to sign maximum extensions if they make All-WNBA while on their rookie deals. However, the two sides remain far apart, and a resolution doesn’t appear imminent.

March 10th is now the latest deadline that has been set for everything to fall in line. But will it be possible to get things back in order after so much time has run out? The teams still have to get through free agency, trades, and the draft if the league is going to stay on time for its late April preseason tip-off. Then there’s also the FIBA World Cup qualifiers starting next week, so time isn’t exactly on their side.

But more than the tension surrounding the league, it was Paige’s comments about this whole ordeal that really didn’t sit well with the fans.

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Bueckers’s CBA Comment Gets Lambasted by WNBA Fans

The moment Paige Bueckers’ comments hit the internet, the fans couldn’t help but show their disdain over the matter.

“But when CC said the same thing, it was a problem lol……..,” said a commenter.

For context, Caitlin Clark had made a similar comment back in December 2025, where she had clearly stated how it was critical to get on with the league.

“We’re going to fight for everything we deserve, but at the same time we need to play basketball,” CC had said and ended up getting some serious flak for it.

The fans were rubbing the WNBPA the wrong way, sending a message that compromises the WNBPA’s united standpoint and creating a gap in player unity. By stressing “we don’t want to have a strike,” critics argued she was signaling a willingness to concede leverage, which could weaken the union’s negotiating.

But now it was the same with Paige Bueckers, but there was no uproar.

The comments showed how quickly fans draw lines between players. Even similar statements are framed as original or repetitive depending on who delivers them, and that is what either makes them stand in support of the player or oppose their narrative.

The similarity between Caitlin Clark’s and Paige Bueckers’ comments gave the commenter the impression that Paige is merely reiterating what Caitlin already said. Paige is the new “darling” of the WNBA, who has become a highly marketable player ever since transitioning to the WNBA after finding college stardom at UConn. So maybe that also has an angle in this.

Whatever the case may be, the WNBA fans are known to be protective of their stars, and whenever they notice that their favorites are getting targeted, they will come out in numbers to fight for them and the “injustice” they are having to suffer. Caitlin Clark’s fans did the same here, arguing how the Fever star was wrongly criticized just for having the willingness to play WNBA in 2026.