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Paige Bueckers will make more in one season playing in Unrivaled than her first WNBA contract is set to pay her over four years.
If Bueckers signs a four-year rookie-scale WNBA contract after getting drafted Monday night, she would be slotted into a deal that pays $78,831 in its first year and $348,198 over four years.
A source with knowledge of her three-year Unrivaled deal confirmed the lucrative payday to Front Office Sports. The news was first reported by ESPN.
The news came less than 24 hours before the former UConn star was expected to be drafted by the Dallas Wings with the first overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft amid collective bargaining between the league and the players’ union.
Before her final season with the Huskies, Bueckers had signed an NIL deal with Unrivaled that also gave her equity in the player-owned startup league.
The deal could add pressure to the WNBA as it tries to reach a new CBA with its players. League cofounder Napheesa Collier has said that with the CBA expiring this year, it was the “perfect time” for her player-friendly league.
As of now, no player has opted out of the WNBA in favor of playing for the 10-week, 3-on-3 south Florida league. However, the WNBA has dealt with players opting out in favor of better-paying leagues. Three-time WNBA champion Diana Taurasi sat out the 2015 season at the request of her Russian team, which paid her more than her previous year’s salary not to play. At the time, Taurasi was making under the league’s max of $107,000, according to a previous report from ESPN.
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