Discussions for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) in the WNBA are ongoing as the deadline for new contracts nears.
League officials and representatives from the Women’s National Basketball Players Association were slated to convene over the weekend in anticipation of the Sunday 11:59 p.m. ET deadline.
While it’s still uncertain if a work stoppage will happen, players have mentioned they’ve been gearing up for this possibility throughout the summer.
If the two sides don’t finalize an agreement by the month’s end, it doesn’t automatically mean the league will shut down. They might agree to another extension, or the league could just stick to the current framework as negotiations proceed.
The existing CBA was initially set to expire at the end of last month, but both parties decided to extend the deadline by 30 days, effectively moving it to the end of November.
Recently, the latest proposals from both sides have been shared, but an agreement still hasn’t been reached.
The league’s current offer features a maximum annual salary exceeding $1.1 million, which reportedly includes a player’s base salary combined with revenue sharing.
According to Front Office Sports, the supermax base salary will likely remain between $800,000 and $850,000.
Under this proposal, the new minimum salary would be over $220,000, with an average exceeding $460,000.
This marks a notable rise from the existing CBA, where the current supermax sits at $249,244 and the veteran minimum is $78,831.
However, players might argue that these increases don’t reflect the league’s growing valuation, as certain franchises are now valued at over $400 million.
A significant hurdle in the negotiations revolves around revenue sharing.
The WNBA has suggested an “uncapped” revenue-sharing model, while the players are advocating for a system where salaries are based on income.
This concept resembles the NBA’s model, which ties the salary cap to league revenues.
Players are also pushing for greater benefits during this round of negotiations. They want to expand rosters, ease salary cap restrictions, and formally establish charter travel, which the league approved in 2024 but hasn’t formally integrated into the CBA.
The WNBA has described this potential deal as “transformative,” though perspectives on what that entails clearly differ between the two sides.
While the WNBA has never canceled games due to labor issues, it’s not unusual for negotiations to continue beyond contract deadlines.
In the previous CBA cycle, the league and the WNBPA didn’t finalize their agreement until January 2020.
Nevertheless, offseason activities—including expansion drafts, free agency drafts, and the college draft—will be postponed until a new CBA is established.
The Golden State Valkyries Expansion Draft took place on December 6, 2024. Free agency is set to kick off in late January, but the college draft won’t happen until April.
