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The WNBA has yet to respond to the WNBA players union’s collective bargaining proposal it provided nearly a month ago, Front Office Sports reported on Friday.
That lack of movement may put the start of the WNBA season, scheduled for May, in jeopardy, according to multiple sources who spoke with the outlet.
The two sides have been in negotiations on a new labor deal since late June of 2025, with multiple deadlines having been passed and extended in the meantime.
The most recent deadline of Jan. 9 came and went without a deal, and no extension was agreed to this time either, leaving the sides in a period of “status quo,” which precludes certain actions from being taken.
One of those is an expansion of the regular season beyond 44 games, one of the key negotiating points thus far.
The players’ proposal was reportedly for a 30% share of the league’s gross revenues and a salary cap of $10.5 million. The league’s most recent proposal prior to that had been for 70% of its net revenues and a salary cap that would start at $5 million in Year 1.
The salary cap last season was $1.5 million.
The sticking point in the schedule, and the reason for doubts about the regular season going off without a hitch, are a requirement that an expansion draft and free agency must both occur beforehand. Furthermore, the league will need to conduct its amateur draft, currently scheduled for April 13, and take a break for this fall’s FIBA World Cup, which takes place in September.
Free agency typically begins in early January. The current best-case scenario being outlined would now point to March, though that is contingent on a deal being reached over the coming weeks.
The WNBA has never lost games to a work stoppage over its history (29 years).
–Field Level Media
