The WNBA and the players, through their union, have reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. No announcement has been made when a formal agreement can be signed and if the 2026 season will start on time, scheduled for May 8. The deal still needs approval through a player vote and a vote by the WNBA Board of Governors.
Financially, it is a huge increase for players, who will see marked salary changes:
• A salary-cap increase from $1.5 million to $7 million • A minimum salary of $300,000, up from $67,000 in 2025 • Supermax contracts beginning at $1.4 million • Revenue sharing at an average of 20 percent across the agreement term.
Negotiated settlements on housing and travel were not reported.
There are key dates ahead for the league. There is an expansion draft on April 6 for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, who become the 14th and 15th teams in the league. Free agency is scheduled to begin the next day and run through April 17. The WNBA Entry Draft for eligible college and international players is set for April 13.
My take: The league and players have about three years on this deal until its in real trouble, three years to build it into something sustainable. The new TV deal and the franchise expansion fees can help cover the costs of the early years, but the league wasn't solvent before, and now player overhead on salary alone has just increased 500 percent. Time to pack NBA arenas and market the stars ... and protect them from this league's embrace of thuggery.
THE ASYLUM
WNBA, union agree on new CBA
The WNBA and the players, through their union, have reached a verbal agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. No announcement has been made when a formal agreement can be signed and if the 2026 season will start on time, scheduled for May 8. The deal still needs approval through a player vote and a vote by the WNBA Board of Governors.
Financially, it is a huge increase for players, who will see marked salary changes:
• A salary-cap increase from $1.5 million to $7 million
• A minimum salary of $300,000, up from $67,000 in 2025
• Supermax contracts beginning at $1.4 million
• Revenue sharing at an average of 20 percent across the agreement term.
Negotiated settlements on housing and travel were not reported.
There are key dates ahead for the league. There is an expansion draft on April 6 for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, who become the 14th and 15th teams in the league. Free agency is scheduled to begin the next day and run through April 17. The WNBA Entry Draft for eligible college and international players is set for April 13.
My take: The league and players have about three years on this deal until its in real trouble, three years to build it into something sustainable. The new TV deal and the franchise expansion fees can help cover the costs of the early years, but the league wasn't solvent before, and now player overhead on salary alone has just increased 500 percent. Time to pack NBA arenas and market the stars ... and protect them from this league's embrace of thuggery.
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