What to expect as fiery WNBA CBA negotiations comes to a head

A simmering clash between players and WNBA leadership, led by commissioner Cathy Engelbert and stoked by Lynx star Napheesa Collier’s explosive end-of-season news conference, is the backdrop for negotiations that are going down to the wire.

There are still more questions than answers. Here’s what you need to know:

How did we get here?

Players opted out of the current CBA at the end of the 2024 season. The hope was that by pulling out when they did it would give the WNBA and Women’s National Basketball Players Association plenty of time to negotiate a new deal.

WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson said in May that she hoped to see “significant progress” made by the July All-Star break.

That didn’t happen.

Instead, there was a pivotal meeting with more than 40 players present to discuss matters with league officials, including Engelbert. Ultimately, though, players left that meeting feeling like it was a “wasted opportunity.”

The players organized a protest during warmups for the All-Star Game, where they all wore “Pay Us What You Owe Us” T-shirts.

Meetings continued to take place over the course of the season, but the two sides remain at an impasse.

The league’s ownership model has been a snag in negotiations, too. 

What do players want and why do they have more bargaining power?

Players have seen the $250 million expansion fees, skyrocketing franchise evaluations, attendance and TV viewership records and the $2.2 billion media rights deal and want their share.

That’s why they’re fighting for a more robust revenue sharing structure and increased salaries. Other priorities include a softer salary cap and improved benefits, including for mothers and former players.

This is the most bargaining power players have ever had in negotiations. For years, there was concern about the league folding or owners withdrawing their support.

But those days are over. 

Players are vital to the league’s success. Younger stars, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, are a big part of driving the league’s popularity over the past two seasons.

The WNBA’s best bargaining chip could’ve been charter flights, which had been a dream for players for the first 20-plus years. In fact, the Liberty were fined $500,000 in May 2022 for chartering flights to away games, among other things.

The WNBA instituted a league-wide charter flights program ahead of the 2024 season. 

The players have leverage like never before and plan to use it.

What do we know about the proposal as of now? 

Players feel like their value is being downplayed in the negotiations.

The WNBA’s latest proposal doesn’t include a supermax salary at, or exceeding, $1 million in the first year, according to Front Office Sports. Instead, the supermax salary proposal is closer to $850,000, and a veteran minimum is around $300,000 for the first year, the report said.

Both are increases from the current CBA. The league’s current supermax is $249,244, and the veteran minimum is $78,831. But the players may argue the increase is not equal to the league’s booming valuation, with some franchises being valued at north of $400 million.

Front Office Sports also reported that the latest WNBA proposal is similar to the current CBA, meaning revenue-sharing bonuses only happen if league revenue exceeds certain targets.

Players are hoping for a salary model similar to the NBA’s, where basketball-related income (such as TV deals, sponsorships and ticket sales) helps determine the next year’s cap.

What could happen at the Oct. 31 deadline?

There are three possible scenarios that could play out come the end of the month. 

The best — and seemingly least likely — would be the two parties ratifying a new deal. 

Considering how far apart the two sides were during the WNBA Finals, it appears more likely that one of two things will happen: Either they will mutually agree to extend the deadline to reach a new CBA and continue negotiations or a work stoppage will ensue.

Last time a new CBA was being brokered in 2019, the two sides chose to do the former and came to an agreement in January 2020. 

But the league’s first-ever work stoppage is not out of the question as players have said they’ve been bracing for one all season. 

A labor strike is a bargaining tactic that happens when the players union initiates a work stoppage, while a lockout happens when owners green-light a work stoppage by locking players out of team facilities and preventing them from working. 

While the WNBPA has been careful not to use the word “strike,” that appears more likely to happen since the current contract favors the owners. 

Obviously, it’s the WNBA offseason, but there are a lot of events that need to take place between now and the anticipated start of the 2026 season beyond finalizing a new CBA, including the draft lottery, two expansion drafts, free agency and the college draft. All of those happenings would be on hold until a deal is reached.

Both sides are hoping to avoid delaying the start of next season and missing games.