The WNBA’s new CBA could have consequences for Australian basketball

A lot of attention is being paid to the WNBA’s CBA negotiations and how it will impact players in the league, but there’s another group of players — and even a whole other league across the world — that may suffer if WNBA players end up getting what they want. The WNBA is home to dozens of international payers, and that number is likely to hold steady of continue to grow over the coming years.

One league that may be impacted by improved salaries in the WNBA is Australia’s WNBL, Stephanie Talbot told Australia’s AAP News last week, per ESPN. Talbot, who plays for the New York Liberty, admitted she thinks more players will attempt to leave Australia for the States once a deal is hammered out.

“They might look to take their offseason off for their bodies and skill development,” she said. “I’m a bit older, my WNBA career is probably something closer to an end.” But she also said that if she were younger and able to make better money in the United States, that’s probably the option she would have chosen.

Talbot isn’t the only Australian athlete who is considering how changes in the WNBA might impact players from the country, as well as the future of both leagues. Jade Melbourne, who plays for the Washington Mytics, admitted that despite the fact that she’s only 23, the wear and tear of playing in both the WNBA and in the WNBL is tough, and if she could choose just one league that would be what she’d like to do.

“For a lot of the Australian players that do play in the WNBA, it’s going to come down to enjoyment, but also what has the best price. The way they’re talking in the WNBA, that could be the option going forward,” Melbourne said. “I’m also young, and sitting on my bed doing nothing really annoys me. If I can do both, I can, but it might get to a point where the States might be my best option, and I’d have an offseason.”

The WNBA CBA appears to be a long way from being signed

Of course, it’s unclear how quickly any of these thoughts or worries could truly manifest, as this week the players’ union and the WNBA’s leadership signed a 40-day extension that will carry negotiations into January. The WNBA offered its latest proposal to the players last week, and the union returned with their own proposal on Tuesday, The Athletic noted Wednesday. Both sides are set to meet again this week.

The league reportedly offered a new model that dictates that players will receive 50% of the revenue metric when the league processes it’s end-of-year review, The Athletic also explained. The league has also continued to propose a salary cap.

Players are hesitant to sign the deal in part because it’s not clear what “segment of league revenue that will be shareable with the players” and what percentage is doled out, but there are other elements of the league’s proposal that are raising eyebrows, too.