Who's saying this tho?
It's certainly not direct, but it does impact their pay. As another poster said, this is a pivotal year for the WNBA. Any leverage that helps the players is a good thing for them.
I don't think they need to see her as a meal ticket. They clearly see her as an opponent on the court. What I would say is off the court they should at least acknowledge that Caitlin is someone who is adding value to the league and the more attention the league gets, the better off they'll all be.