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The WNBA will soon expand to accommodate more teams, and fans are already campaigning for Caitlin Clark to lead one of these upcoming franchises. On Sunday, it was reported that a team is returning to Cleveland as it will become the latest city to be awarded a franchise.
The expectation is that the Cleveland-based franchise, which will be called the Rockers, is going to begin operation by 2028.
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There's still quite a bit of time before the Rockers begin operations. However, some fans are already asking for Clark to become a part of the organization.
"Trade everything for Caitlin Clark," one person said.
"Trade the Browns to Indy for Caitlin Clark. Who says no?" one person asked.
"I cannot wait to fire up a trade machine for Caitlin Clark," someone said.
"Do whatever we must do to acquire Caitlin Clark," someone tweeted.
"Caitlin Clark and Evan Mobley about to be in the same city whewwww," one fan said.
Meanwhile, one tweet asked for two other young talents aside from Clark to join the Cleveland Rockers.
"Please please get Paige Bueckers or Hailey Van Lith," another person said.
The Cleveland Rockers are not exactly a brand-new franchise. In fact, they were one of the eight original teams that played in the inaugural WNBA season in 1997. The other seven were the Houston Comets, Charlotte Sting, Sacramento Monarchs, Utah Starzz, LA Sparks, Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty.
The Rockers were defunct by 2003. The Sting (2006), Comets (2008) and Monarchs (2009) would soon fold as well. The Starzz relocated twice, first to San Antonio and then to Las Vegas where they are now called the Aces.
The Sparks, Mercury and Liberty are the only ones that remain in their original cities since the WNBA's inaugural campaign.
The league is now expanding rapidly with the 13th franchise, the Golden State Valkyries, set to play its inaugural season this year. Toronto was chosen for the 14th franchise, making it the first organization based outside the United States, and is expected to play in 2026. Similarly, Portland's WNBA franchise will reportedly debut in 2026 as well.
Also read: WNBA Expansion: Massive $250 million price tag set to bring back Cleveland Rockers franchise in 2028
Caitlin Clark praised Cleveland during her first visit to the city in 2024
The 2024 Final Four of the NCAA women's basketball tournament was held at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The last four teams standing by that stage of the tourney were the South Carolina Gamecocks, NC State Wolfpack, UConn Huskies and Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes.
It was Clark's first time visiting Cleveland and showered the city with praise while speaking to the media.
"It's been really cool," Clark said. "We went to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last night. I think you could stay in there for about a week and still have more things to do. I've never been to Cleveland before, it's been awesome. Honestly, it feels like a bigger version of my hometown."
Clark and Iowa would go on to beat UConn 71-69 in their Final Four matchup. In the Finals, they faced off against South Carolina which featured Kamilla Cardoso. Cardoso's squad prevailed 87-75 to be crowned champions.
