WNBA: CBA negotiations on the brink, is an agreement in sight?

WNBA CBA Negotiations: A Race Against the Clock

Thanksgiving week is usually a time for rest and reflection, but in midtown New York, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) are immersed in intense negotiations. The goal is to reach a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) before the deadline. The current agreement is scheduled to end on Sunday, following a 30-day extension agreed upon at the end of October. Although negotiations could extend into December, time is of the essence, especially with a two-team expansion draft and a busy free agency period ahead.

WNBA Proposal: A Step Forward in Negotiations?

Last week, it was revealed that the WNBA proposed a deal that includes a revenue-sharing component. This, combined with a base salary, would allow players to reach a maximum salary of over $1.1 million, with an average of over $460,000 and a minimum of over $220,000. However, sources close to the WNBPA indicated that the proposal was not seen as a significant step forward. Players from across the league expressed their opinion, highlighting the need to secure a revenue-sharing system that benefits the players. A player called the league’s proposal a “slap in the face,” while another described it as “frustrating.” Although the proposal includes significant salary increases compared to the minimum salary of $66,079 and the maximum salary of $249,244 for 2025, the WNBPA believes it does not adequately address the growth of the salary cap and the players’ salaries in relation to the growth of the business, a key demand since they opted not to renew the current agreement in October 2024. Currently, the salary cap increases annually at a fixed rate of 3%, reaching $1,507,100 in 2025. The current revenue sharing system was not activated during the seasons affected by the 2020 and 2021 pandemic. The players are seeking a salary system more directly linked to revenue, similar to the NBA’s, where the salary cap is determined by basketball-related income (BRI). The league, for its part, has proposed “significant guaranteed increases in the salary cap and a substantial revenue sharing without a cap that allows players’ salaries to grow as the league’s business grows.” The WNBPA responded that the proposal “masks a situation that is not linked to any part of the business and intentionally undervalues the players.”

What is the current state of the negotiations?

Despite the proximity of the Thanksgiving holiday, the league and the WNBPA have exchanged updated proposals and plan to meet throughout the week and weekend, before the Sunday deadline. They could agree to another extension, but even if that doesn’t happen, a work stoppage wouldn’t automatically occur. They could continue negotiating under a “status quo” agreement, maintaining the conditions of the current CBA. However, the lack of an extension could open the door to a strike (initiated by the players) or a lockout (initiated by the owners).

The Expansion Draft: A Pending Issue

The expansion draft for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo teams, which will debut in 2026, is also affected by the uncertainty of the CBA. The expansion draft is one of the first tasks to be carried out once a new CBA is established. The lack of clarity regarding the expansion draft rules hinders the strategic planning of the teams. Last year, the Golden State Valkyries received the draft format a month before the event and the list of protected players 11 days before. Currently, Portland and Toronto have no information.

Although not defined, the WNBA is expected to follow a format similar to the 2000 expansion draft, where existing teams could protect five players. It is anticipated that Toronto and Portland will only be able to select one free agent each, although this is not confirmed. With approximately 85% of current players as free agents this winter, the decision of which players to select becomes complex.

The WNBA’s free agency usually begins on January 11, with contract signings starting February 1 and the season beginning in May. However, prolonged negotiations could lead to an accelerated schedule, with the expansion draft, free agency, and college draft taking place between March and early April.

Priorities at the Negotiation Table

The salary structure and income distribution have been the focus of CBA negotiations. Although significant salary increases are expected for the players, both parties have not reached an agreement on how those systems should be. Other important topics include establishing minimum professional standards at the facilities and codifying the league’s charter travel program, which was introduced at the start of the 2024 season. The league seeks to substantially increase players’ salaries and other cost commitments, incentivizing owners to continue investing in the business. The expansion of retirement and family planning benefits are also priorities for the players. Prioritization, a set of rules that requires WNBA players who compete in other leagues to report on time for WNBA training camp or face suspension for the season, became a controversial topic. However, it’s unlikely that owners will want to soften those rules, especially amid the expected salary increases in the WNBA.

The players have also expressed their desire to weaken or completely abolish the “core” system, similar to the NFL’s franchise tag, which was already greatly reduced in the last CBA. However, it is unlikely that the league will want to give it up completely, as it gives teams the opportunity to develop and retain drafted talent, which can create a competitive leveling effect.

The salary cap and roster limits of 12 players (many franchises only have 11 players) often frustrate team staff. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert has said that the league prefers expansion as a way to increase its size rather than adding roster spots, while the league prefers not to soften the cap, as it believes that some teams spending significantly more than others would create an uneven playing field. Another issue to be resolved is the number of games and scheduling in the future; there was a maximum of 44 games allowed in the current CBA, and although the league may not always be able to maintain the exact same footprint due to international competitions, Engelbert has said that the league would like to try to stick to May to October, with some overlap in November as needed in a year like 2026, when the WNBA will be interrupted for the FIBA World Cup.

The Impact of Alternative Leagues on Negotiations

WNBA players have competed in other leagues, historically at the international level, since the league’s creation. However, the domestic landscape changed dramatically last year when Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 league founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, launched its inaugural season, which ran from January to March. Unrivaled has been characterized as an alternative for players who want to supplement their income without going abroad during the WNBA’s off-season, and league staff have said that Unrivaled does not intend to be a competitor to the WNBA. Still, some players have indicated that they hope Unrivaled, with its high salaries and impressive player amenities, can put pressure on the WNBA during this current round of CBA negotiations. Unrivaled offered the players shares last year and, in the future, intends to provide an average salary of $200,000, which the league claims is the highest average salary in women’s professional team sports. In recent weeks, a new league called Project B announced its intention to debut in November 2026 and operate until April 2027, with WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike, Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones, and Jewell Loyd among its first public signatories. The league’s model features 66 players who play in an international circuit through Europe and Asia, similar to a Formula 1 format. In addition to having shares in the players, it is reported that their salaries reach seven figures, above what both the WNBA and Unrivaled offer (the schedule of the latter directly conflicts with that of Project B). Like Unrivaled, Project B says it is not a competing league to the WNBA. While prioritization rules ensure that WNBA players arrive at training camp on time, the league has no plans to seek exclusivity, that its players only play in the WNBA and nowhere else in the offseason, during this round of negotiations, a source said.

Will WNBA draft eligibility change in this CBA?

The start of the college season has evoked a familiar question for basketball fans: Should the WNBA change its draft eligibility rules? Unlike the “one-and-done” rule in the NBA, players must be 22 years old in the calendar year of the WNBA draft to be eligible (unless they have graduated early). International players must be 20 years old during the draft calendar year to be eligible. A source said that draft eligibility has not been a significant topic of discussion in the negotiations so far.

Are there any news about the expansion draft?

As we have already addressed, the celebration of the WNBA expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire is one of the first things that will be done once a new CBA is established. The parameters for the expansion draft must be established in the new CBA, so no rules or guidelines have been given to the teams. But the expectation is that a coin toss will determine which of the two newcomers will choose first in the college and expansion drafts (i.e., the team that goes first in the expansion draft will pick seventh in the college draft, and whoever goes second in the expansion draft will pick sixth in the college draft; the number 6 pick is the first pick after the lottery picks). The expansion draft for the Golden State Valkyries took place on December 6, allowing the 12 league teams to protect six players. Golden State selected 11 players, taking one from each team, except Seattle. Since this expansion draft will have two teams building templates, it is believed that perhaps the other teams in the league can only protect five players this time.

Legend: Where are the negotiations before the November 30 deadline?

Author: Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images