LA Sparks fans on cloud nine after locking 44.2% chance to select Paige Buckers with top pick in 2025 WNBA Draft - “Rickea, Cam Brink and Paige omg”

The LA Sparks’ 79-67 loss to the Connecticut Sun dropped their record to 7-28, the worst in the WNBA this season. Los Angeles looked like it was sniffing the playoffs this year but Cameron Brink’s ACL injury in June took them out of that trajectory. Although the news was devastating, the Sparks could end up with a mouthwatering consolation.

The Sparks will be back in the WNBA lottery next year, which will give them another huge opportunity to rebuild the roster. They got Brink at No. 2 and Rickea Jackson at No. 4 this year. Next year, they might get the No. 1 pick based on Alexa Philippou’s report:

“With tonight's loss, the Los Angeles Sparks have locked in the top odds for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 WNBA draft lottery -- 44.2%. They are also guaranteed a top-3 pick regardless of the lottery results*”

Fans quickly reacted to the news:

“That tanking looking worth it. Rickea, Cam Brink, and Paige omg that is so many degrees of exciting. Love how the wnba now building excitement ahead of the next draft class I think that’s because this draft class they all came in and exceeded expectations”

Another fan posted a GIF of what she thinks Karen Bryant looks like amid the high possibility of adding Paige Bueckers to the team.

@DWash_ predicted:

“Rickea and Paige are going to feed families”

One fan desperately called:

“Paige to LA we need her"

Another fan sees a “Big Four” in LA:

“I like that Cam, Kea, Paige, and Hamby quartet.”

Meanwhile, a conspiracy theorist fan referenced the "frozen envelope" urban legend from the 1985 NBA Draft lottery involving the New York Knicks and Patrick Ewing.

"Paige to LA for sure. Frozen envelope time"

In the WNBA lottery, the overall records over the past two regular seasons matter. The Sparks and the Washington Mystics were neck-and-neck in competition for the best odds for the No. 1 pick before the Mystics’ late surge this year. Washington, 11-24, is a dark horse to make the 2024 playoffs over the Chicago Sky and Atlanta Dream.

If the LA Sparks win the 2025 draft lottery, they are likely to add another franchise cornerstone to join Cameron Brink and Rickea Jackson. Most mock drafts see UConn superstar Paige Bueckers as the first name off the draft board next year.

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Paige Bueckers would be invaluable to the LA Sparks

Paige Bueckers is one of college basketball’s best and most efficient scorers. She has career averages of 19.8 points per game on 53.0% shooting, including a sizzling 42.5% from deep. Bueckers’ scoring would boost the LA Sparks’ stuttering offense.

This season, the LA Sparks are shooting 42.5%, the second-worst in the WNBA. A lineup with Bueckers and Rickea Jackson should push that figure upwards.

More importantly, Paige Bueckers is a proven clutch scorer. She will not hesitate to take shots in high-stakes situations.