The talent pool coming into the league from the recent WNBA drafts has been frightening. Caitlin Clark entered in 2024 as a different beast, and now Paige Bueckers is matching that same energy with the Dallas Wings in 2025, even breaking a few of Clark’s rookie records. Naturally, the Paige Bueckers vs Caitlin Clark rivalry talk is everywhere, but Bueckers just gave an honest Team USA admission that might change the conversation.

With fans constantly pitting them against each other, the Indiana Fever’s season opener turned into an instant headline moment with a direct matchup. Still, Paige Bueckers insists the narrative surrounding their matchup is being misunderstood.

Speaking with Kylie Kelce on the Not Gonna Lie podcast, Bueckers highlighted that she and Caitlin have played together at the junior level and that they are actually friends.

“Everybody’s pinned Caitlin and me against each other for the longest time, but we’re cool. We’re friends, and we understand how media works.” said Bueckers.  That perspective carried directly into her Team USA admission, where Bueckers emphasized unity over rivalry when the jerseys changed. She exclaimed,” We are going to be very proud as the USA to be able to be like ‘Yeah we do have the best of the best, right?'”

Paige Bueckers added that representing the United States at the national team level is the highest honor in women’s basketball, something every American WNBA player grows up dreaming about. Also, the Dallas Wings star highlighted that, despite representing rival teams in the WNBA, involving everyone in the National setup would enable them and the fans to see all of them together representing the United States, which would undoubtedly boast of the best the league has to offer.

Team USA enters the World Cup Qualifiers having already secured its place in Berlin, which allows the coaching staff to evaluate chemistry and lineup combinations rather than chase qualification results. This means the National setup can afford to use the Qualifiers as a testing ground to see which pairings and which lineups synchronize more efficiently within the group of players that will represent them in Puerto Rico.

Caitlin had a heavily curtailed 2025 season as the Indiana Fever won the mid-season Commissioner’s Cup and went all the way to the WNBA Semi-Finals. Bueckers, meanwhile, had a remarkable rookie season, even making it to the All-WNBA 2nd team in her first season in the league.

Paige Bueckers has been on fire in her debut season in Unrivaled as well, also winning the $50,000 Free Throw Challenge. Caitlin, on the other hand, has returned to the basketball court, with her latest Instagram story showing her throwing a football with the Indiana Fever development coach, Rob Dosier.

Dallas could reunite Paige Bueckers with former UConn teammate Azzi Fudd in the upcoming WNBA Draft

While Paige Bueckers delivered a standout rookie season, the Dallas Wings finished at the bottom of the standings, underscoring how much roster work still lies ahead. However, the draft lottery results were in their favour, with the Wings getting the first pick for the second year in a row.

Getting Paige Bueckers from the UConn Huskies worked out impeccably for Dallas. However, this time, there are a few candidates to choose from, especially two very prominent options in UConn star Azzi Fudd and Spanish player Awa Fam.

Awa Fam is known for her passing ability and vision, which is a rare commodity in a Center, and could end up becoming a cornerstone of the Dallas roster alongside Bueckers in the long run. The latest comparison can be drawn from the Indiana Fever pairing of Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark.

On the other hand, if the Dallas Wings aim for immediate success and better results right off the bat, Azzi Fudd makes more sense. The duo will retain chemistry with Bueckers from their UConn days. To add to it, adding a shooting guard like Azzi would complement Bueckers perfectly.

There are more options like Hannah Hidalgo and Olivia Miles in the guard position that have emerged as strong players in the WNBA Draft. If they want to go for a Center other than Awa Fam, Lauren Betts has been impressive in Women’s College Basketball this season. Ultimately, Dallas’ upcoming draft decision will determine whether Bueckers’ second season is about continued individual brilliance or a meaningful shift toward contention.