If you had asked anyone a year ago if Caitlin Clark would play basketball anywhere but the WNBA, the answer would have been a resounding “no.” Despite the brutal officiating, the on-court cheap shots, and the relentless media drama that defined her rookie season, Clark has remained the consummate professional, loyal to the league she grew up dreaming of.

She’s already turned down multi-million dollar offers from Ice Cube’s Big3 and the Unrivaled league. With a stable of eight-figure endorsement deals from Nike, Gatorade, and State Farm, she doesn’t need to chase every dollar.

But a new development isn’t just a ripple; it’s a tidal wave that threatens to reshape the entire landscape of women’s professional sports. A new, Saudi-financed global basketball league, codenamed “Project B,” is coming, and it is reportedly preparing to make offers so massive they defy comprehension. And at the very top of their list, with a nine-figure check, is Caitlin Clark.

For the first time, Clark faces a monumental choice: remain the hero for a league that many argue needs her but doesn’t deserve her, or finally take the throne—and the paycheck—that matches her generational value.

This isn’t just another overseas option; it’s a direct competitor with a war chest that makes the WNBA look like a startup. Project B, which has been in development for two years, is founded by tech heavyweights, including former Google and Facebook executive Grady Bernett and Skype co-founder Jeff Prrenice.

Its investor group isn’t just venture capital; it’s a roster of sports royalty: US Open champion Sloane Stephens, NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young, tennis legend Novak Djokovic, and, most critically, WNBA Hall of Famer Elena Beard, who serves as the league’s Chief Basketball Officer.

The format is 5-on-5, six teams of 11 players, playing in seven tournaments across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. It’s designed to run in a 14-week window during the WNBA’s offseason. While this means players could technically do both, Project B’s strategy mirrors that of LIV Golf: make an offer so large it demands exclusivity.

And the money is staggering. Project B is reportedly telling investors it will pay “10 times current WNBA salaries.”

Consider the context: The WNBA is currently negotiating a new CBA where the proposed “supermax” salary, the absolute most a top veteran can make, is around $850,000. The veteran minimum would be roughly $300,000. Project B is rumored to be preparing $5 million offers for “good contributors”—not even superstars.

This is the LIV Golf model, which tore the PGA apart by offering contracts like Phil Mickelson’s $200 million deal. Now, that same financial firepower is being aimed directly at the WNBA.

This brings us to Caitlin Clark. The numbers being floated—$10 million, $20 million, even $50 million—are, according to insiders, “laughable.” They are a gross underestimation of her real value. An independent evaluation reportedly valued Clark’s worth to the WNBA at $1 billion. She is credited with bringing in 50% of the league’s total viewership, doubling team valuations (adding $2 billion in equity), and being the primary driver behind the WNBA’s new $2 billion media rights deal.

So, what is the real offer? Sources speculate it could be $200 million, perhaps as high as $500 million.

At that number, it’s not just a salary; it’s a re-evaluation of history. And Project B isn’t just offering cash; it’s offering equity. Players would own a piece of the league itself, a level of partnership the WNBA has never put on the table.

But money alone might not be enough to sway Clark. The “push” factor, according to inside sources, is the mounting toxicity she has faced within the WNBA itself—an environment many feel has been enabled, and even encouraged, by its own leadership.

Throughout her rookie season, Clark was the subject of a relentless narrative. She was physically targeted on the court, and the officiating was described as “brutal” and inconsistent. The media and even fellow players often seemed to downplay her impact.

The most damning allegations, however, are aimed at WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert. In a conversation from February, when asked about the league’s officiating problems, Engelbert allegedly responded, “Well, only the losers complain about the refs.”

When asked how the league planned to fix the fact that revenue-drivers like Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers were making so little on their rookie deals, her response was reportedly even more shocking. She allegedly said Clark “should be grateful she makes $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.”

The source even claimed Engelbert told them, “Players should be on their knees thanking their lucky stars for the meteorite steel (media deal) that I got them.”

If true, this paints a picture of a league leadership that views its biggest star not as a partner, but as an ungrateful employee. Now, compare that to the alternative. If Clark signs with Project B, she isn’t just another player. She is the queen. She would be treated as royalty, with first-class travel, direct creative input, and a global brand expansion built around her. She would have a real seat at the table, a level of control and respect she has never been afforded in the WNBA.

This is where Project B’s secret weapon comes in: Candace Parker.

Parker, a WNBA legend and one of the most respected voices in the sport, is an investor in Project B. She is also a vocal critic of Engelbert’s leadership. In a recent, telling anecdote, Parker revealed that when she retired, had her third child, or signed a new broadcast deal, she received personal texts and gifts from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. From Cathy Engelbert? “I have not heard from Kathy,” she said.

Parker’s message is clear: the WNBA has become about egos and politics, not business. She is now in a position to recruit, and insiders are sure she’s in the ears of top stars, from A’ja Wilson to her own broadcast partner, Aaliyah Boston.

This new league has neutralized every counter-argument. Is it real basketball? Yes, it’s 5-on-5, which Clark prefers. Is the competition elite? It will be as soon as it signs the elite players, which the money all but guarantees.

The final argument—legacy—is also the weakest. Detractors claim leaving the WNBA would tarnish her legacy. But history says otherwise. Diana Taurasi, widely considered the WNBA’s GOAT, was once paid by a Russian team to skip an entire WNBA season. Her legacy remained “untouched.”

Clark could sign a three-season, $200 million deal with Project B, play on a global stage, and return to the WNBA at 27 years old, still in her prime, to chase that “traditional” legacy.

The WNBA is in a state of chaos. Its leadership is under fire, and its players are, for the first time, being presented with a viable, and astronomically lucrative, alternative. Unrivaled will be crushed. The WNBA, under its current salary structure, cannot compete.

Caitlin Clark now holds the future of two leagues in her hands. Will she stay, out of loyalty, in a house that allegedly resents her for her own greatness? Or will she take the nine-figure deal, the equity, and the crown, and build a new castle overseas? The WNBA’s season may be over, but the biggest game of Clark’s career has just begun.