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The Athletic reported on the state of the ongoing CBA negotiations between WNBA leadership and the players Monday. From the sound of things, the parties aren’t really any closer to coming to any kind of agreement — but a few of the proposal points are worth considering, most could have a significant impact on the league.
One such point is adding a developmental pool of players to the WNBA, something Unrivaled is trying out during its second season in early 2025. The WNBPA proposed that teams be allowed to add up to two developmental players, something that would be a game-changer if teams lose a player or two due to injury.
Kelsey Mitchell weighs in on a proposed development league in the WNBA
As fans saw throughout the 2025 season, the Indiana Fever was tasked with signing several players to hardship contracts as members of the team suffered ACL and meniscus tears, broken feet, and groin injuries. While speaking to reporters during Unrivaled’s Media Day Monday, Kelsey Mitchell emphasized how powerful a developmental pool would be in the WNBA.
“I mean, if you have a developmental league, I think the players that are on the team already won’t have that much to worry about as far as like everything that comes with losing certain people on your team,” Mitchell said. On top of that, she added, having a developmental pool would allow the pool members to grow alongside the team’s regular season roster.
“And then with the developmental part, you get the chance to grow with each other. I think developmental is just that,” she continued. “And I think that if you want to develop who you want on your team and mold them to where you want them to be, I think this is a great recipe to have for basketball across the board.”
Unrivaled announced its own developmental league in September
Unrivaled will feature its own developmental pool this season. Six players will train and work out alongside the rest of the league. The members of the pool will be available on-call if someone gets hurt or has to leave the league temporarily (last season Unrivaled also dealt with its fair share of injuries, and some players were forced to depart the season early due to pre-existing contractual obligations and events).
The 2026 season’s developmental pool will be made up of Hailey Van Lith, Aziaha James, Haley Jones, Emily Engstler, Laeticia Amihere and Makayla Timpson.
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