Caitlin Clark Urges WNBA, Players Union To Meet Face-To-Face On CBA

The Indiana Fever star says the league and WNBPA should “get in a room and iron it out” as negotiations drag toward Tuesday’s deadline.

Caitlin Clark thinks the WNBA and its players union are making the collective bargaining negotiations harder than they need to be.

Speaking Saturday at USA Basketball training camp in Miami, the Indiana Fever star said the two sides should stop sending proposals back and forth and instead sit down face-to-face until a deal gets done.

“I don’t understand why we don’t just get in a room and iron it out and shake hands,” Clark said. “That’s how business is. You look each other in the eye, you shake hands, you respect both sides. For me, that’s what I would love to see.”

Negotiations have intensified in recent weeks as the league pushes toward a March 10 deadline to reach at least a handshake agreement on a new CBA. If the deadline passes without a deal, the WNBA’s 30th season — currently scheduled to begin May 8 — could be delayed.

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Clark’s suggestion was quickly endorsed by WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart.

“I think that would be great for us all to sit in a room until we really get it done,” Stewart said. “If that means sitting in there for hours and hours at a time, let’s do it. That’s for the better of the player. While a situation like that has never happened before, there’s a first time for everything.

“We want the deal to be done. We want to have the season. We just need to find the right numbers that reflect it.”

Breanna Stewart Walks Back Criticism After Letter Leak

Stewart’s comments come just days after she and Kelsey Plum made headlines for privately criticizing players’ union leadership.

In a letter sent to WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson earlier this week — which was later leaked publicly — Stewart and Plum wrote that they “do not feel like we have an adequate seat at the table in these negotiations.”

READ: WNBA Stars Raise ‘Serious Concerns’ About Union Leadership As CBA Standoff Drags On

But speaking Friday, Stewart walked back that criticism.

“Terri is our executive director,” Stewart said. “We know that she’s leading us in the best way possible. And while there might be some differences of opinions or questions that are being asked, it’s all good faith of knowing that we want to make sure that we do what’s right for all the players.”

Kelsey Plum and Breanna Stewart wrote a letter criticizing WNBPA leadership.

(Getty Images)

Stewart added that the letter was meant to be private.

“It was unfortunate that that became public knowledge,” she said. “We all spoke between [the executive committee] and Terri, and all of our union leaders to continue to make the best progress we can forward.”

Negotiations Continue To Inch Forward

The players union sent a new counter-proposal to the league on Friday night. And it seems the biggest gap between the sides is still revenue sharing.

The WNBA has proposed players receive roughly 70% of net revenue (revenue after expenses) while the players union has most recently asked for about 26% of gross revenue (revenue before expenses). 

The league also recently proposed a slightly higher salary cap for 2026, raising it to $5.75 million, while offering an accelerated path for star players on rookie contracts to reach maximum salaries sooner.

That means young stars like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers wouldn’t remain locked into lower rookie-scale contracts while newer draft picks enter the league earning significantly more under the new salary structure.

(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

With the league’s deadline now just days away, both sides acknowledge these negotiations are coming down to the wire.

“I think it’ll be tight,” Stewart said. “Hopefully we do come to a resolution sooner rather than later. But even if we do, it’s like these other things that need to happen need a moment. You shouldn’t have to rush the expansion draft or free agency.”

RELATED: Sophie Cunningham Warns WNBA CBA Fight Could Become A ‘Sh*t Show’

If an agreement is reached by March 10, the expansion draft for the Portland and Toronto franchises could take place in early April, followed shortly by free agency and training camps ahead of the league’s planned May 8 season opener.

And if not, well, the WNBA’s 2026 season could be headed for a very messy start.