No, actually it would have been easier. The fact is the Olympics will have lots of WNBA players all over many of the teams, and the entire US team. If Clark had opted to not compete with them at all she wouldn’t have even been considered. Making the move to the WNBA showed she can compete with them, but she isn’t right now one of the best 12 players in the league.
I disagree and think you’re discounting the national attention Clark garnered earlier this year when she broke the all time NCAA scoring record. Had she used that spotlight to declare her desire to play for Team USA and backed it up by not turning pro (which used to be a prerequisite to become an Olympic athlete) there would have been a ton of grass roots pressure to have her represent the USA in Paris this summer.