Paige Bueckers doesn't hold back amid expectation of forming a star duo in the WNBA

Paige Bueckers has mastered the NIL game. The Connecticut Huskies' star point guard has leveraged her image and profile into a slew of lucrative sponsorship deals that have enhanced her place as one of the top players in NCAA women's basketball -- and before her collegiate career is up, Bueckers wants to be a national champion.

Thanks to Bueckers' consistency and return to health, UConn is among the top 10 teams in the country and is firmly in the hunt for its first national title since 2016. But in three months' time, Bueckers could turn pro, and the WNBA would love to have another blossoming superstar in its ranks after Caitlin Clark took the league by storm in 2024.

Paige and Arike: A new duo for Dallas

Last week, Bueckers maintained that her "plan" is to enter the 2025 WNBA Draft, despite speculation that she would prefer not to the Dallas Wings, who own the #1 overall pick. Dallas has reconfigured its roster during a busy offseason, seemingly laying the groundwork to recruit another backcourt star to partner franchise player Arike Ogunbowale.

Entering Sunday's showdown with defending national champion South Carolina, Bueckers averaged 18.7 points per game on 54 percent shooting from the floor, which includes a 42 percent mark from 3-point range. The former National Player of the Year has been lauded for her shooting, playmaking, and leadership qualities -- her ability to play off the ball would make her a good fit next to Ogunbowale, a ball-dominant shooter who functioned as Dallas' point guard during its dismal 9-31 season in 2024.

Bueckers' "preferred destination" was rumored to be the Los Angeles Sparks, but that option is off the table after the Sparks acquired star guard Kelsey Plum from the Las Vegas Aces. And so the countdown is on to April 14, when the 2025 WNBA Draft commences -- and the Husky Bueckers is likely to become a Wing.