Following the conclusion of the WNBA season, Caitlin Clark made it pretty clear that she did not plan to play to play in a different basketball league over the offseason. But after receiving a pretty significant offer from another league, it sounds like she has changed her mind and is now leaning toward accepting that offer.
According to a report from Tom Friend of the Sports Business Journal, Caitlin Clark has received an offer from the Unrivaled three-on-three basketball league that would pay her a $1 million salary for a three-month commitment.
“Caitlin Clark and Unrivaled have had ‘high level conversations’ about her joining the emerging 3-on-3 basketball league, sources said today, with the offer believed to include significant equity in the business and a three-month salary of over $1M,” Friend wrote for SBJ.
And it sounds like Clark is leaning slightly toward taking the deal.
“On a day that the league expanded its rosters from 30 to 36 players, those sources said Unrivaled has told Clark she can ‘take as long as she wants’ to decide, mindful of the grind Clark has endured over the past year as a collegiate player and rookie in the WNBA. But Unrivaled has also strategically signed two of Clark’s closest friends — Fever teammate Lexie Hull and former Iowa teammate Kate Martin — to recent contracts, and, according to sources, speculation is Clark is leaning ’60/40′ to saying ‘yes,'” Friend wrote.
Obviously, this is certainly a change of tune from Clark.
Clark has insisted that she wanted to spend the offseason resting after playing her college season and the WNBA season consecutively with essentially no break.
According to Ryan Ruocco of ESPN, Caitlin Clark said earlier this month that she had no intention of playing basketball this offseason.
“We talked to Caitlin Clark earlier today… she said she almost definitely will not play basketball this offseason. So it is likely we will not see her play again until April,” he reported earlier this month.
But it sounds like Clark has changed her mind and is at least considering joining the new league.