New WNBA CBA offer boosts pay, fast-tracks max deals

NEW YORK (AP) — The WNBA sent a new CBA proposal to the players’ union Sunday night that includes allowing some of its young stars like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers a chance to earn a maximum salary quicker, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity on Monday because of the sensitive nature of negotiations.

Banned NBA player signs with independent Seattle basketball team

The new offer, which came two days after the latest proposal from the union, would allow players on rookie contracts who were first or second team all-league to become eligible to sign a maximum contract in their fourth year and would not be eligible for a franchise tag designation following that extension.

For example, Clark would be eligible for a maximum contract in 2027, Bueckers in 2028. Aliyah Boston would be eligible this year.

The salary cap in the first year would be $5.75 million — up 280% from last year’s $1.5 million. That would grow to $8.5 million by the sixth year of the deal. The deal would result in maximum salaries increasing by more than $1 million — from $249,000 to $1.3 million — and average salaries increasing from $120,000 to $540,000 in the first year.

The league didn’t make changes in its revenue sharing model from its previous offer. The WNBA has proposed giving players more than 70% of net revenue with that number going up as the league continues to grow. The union in its offer earlier this week asked for an average of 26% of the gross revenue — revenue before expenses — over the course of the CBA. That would include only 25% in the first year of the new deal. The league has said that number is unrealistic.

Kelsey Plum, who is a vice president of the union, said Monday while preparing for the Unrivaled semifinals that getting the league to agree to a revenue sharing system for the first time is something “we fought really hard for,” and a “significant win”. The WNBPA can continue to negotiate the expense credits the league would get.

“I’ve always been someone that’s focused on the gain, not the gap.” Plum said. “And to be honest, I think if you look at where we’ve come from, shoot, since I came into the league until now, and now that we’re in a revenue share, it’s a tremendous win.

“Obviously, we’re going to continue to negotiate. I can’t emphasize that enough. Like we’re not just settling. I want to be very clear about that. But I’m super proud to be a part of this opportunity to change women’s sports.”

Breanna Stewart, who was the first to say that the league had sent a new offer, agreed with Plum.

“I think that while we still are fighting for a lot of different things, we have to realize that the rev share is a win, especially just even coming from the 2020 CBA and the ones before that,” said Stewart, who is also a vice president of the union. “I don’t think a strike is good for anyone, because as the league loses money, or if we have a delay, we also lose money. That’s not just me as a player. That’s me thinking as, like an overall business person. Nobody wants to lose money, so how can we try to prevent that in all ways possible?”

For the first time, the league is giving $8 million from revenue sharing to the players from last season as the league generated enough to trigger it for the first time in its history. There’s also $8 million going to player marketing from the money made last season.

The two sides still differ on housing. The league had offered that its teams would pay for all housing this season. Then franchises would pay for housing for players on minimum salary contracts as well as rookies in their first season, the person said. They’d also pay for the housing of the two developmental players that teams would be allowed to have.

The union in its last offer asked teams to provide housing for all players in the first few years of the deal, but in the latter part of the CBA teams wouldn’t have to provide housing for players making at least 75% of the maximum salary.

The WNBA had told the players’ union that it needs to get a deal in place by March 10 to start the season on time at a virtual collective bargaining agreement negotiating session a week ago, a different person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press.

That person also spoke spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of negotiations.

If a labor deal is agreed to by March 10, it probably would be signed by the end of the month. Under that timeline, the expansion draft for new franchises in Portland and Toronto would be held sometime between April 1 and 6, according to a timetable obtained by the AP.

Free agent qualifying offers, including franchise player tags, would be sent out April 7 and 8. Teams would then have three days to negotiate with the more than 80% of players who are free agents. The signing period would take place from April 12-18.

Training camps would open the next day and the season would be able to start on May 8.

“I think both sides are in agreement that we want to have a season, we don’t want to have a strike necessarily,” Bueckers said at Unrivaled shootaround. “There are certain things we want to stand firm on. … We need to continue to have these conversations. We need to have change implemented to move on our stance.”

Watch: Seattle Storm’s Dominique Malonga dunks in Unrivaled game