Kelsey Plum sees WNBA’s offer as a ‘win,’ but CBA talks continue

New York– kelsey plum She said that while the players’ union should continue to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement, she believes the offer the WNBA has received so far from the WNBA represents a “significant victory” and that “a strike would be the worst thing that could happen to both sides.”

“I want to play, and the players want to play,” Plum, the WNBPA’s first vice president, said in an unconference shootaround before Monday night’s semifinal game in Brooklyn. “And so obviously we will continue to negotiate and do everything we can to get it done on time. But obviously a strike would be the worst thing for both sides, because we are in revenue.” [sharing system]So no revenue, no revenue to share.”

The two sides are far apart on revenue sharing as they work toward a new CBA — a process that began nearly 17 months ago when the WNBPA opted out of the previous agreement. The WNBPA is seeking a system in which players receive an average of 26% of gross revenues (before expenses are deducted), while the league is offering a system in which players receive 70% of net revenues (after expenses are deducted).

The players’ union has objected to the league’s offer because it is less than 15% of gross revenues, while the league has called the WNBPA’s proposals “unrealistic” and claimed it would result in millions of dollars in losses.

Plum said getting the league to agree on a revenue sharing system for the first time – where players’ salaries would increase as both league and team revenues grow – is something “we’ve worked really hard for,” and that the WNBPA could continue to negotiate on expense credits the league would receive.

“You can carry on a conversation without being attacked,” Plum said. “… I’ve always been someone who focuses on the bottom line, not the bottom line. And honestly, I think if you look at where we’ve come from, shoot, since I’ve been in the league and now that we’re in revenue share, it’s a tremendous win.

“Obviously, we will continue to have conversations. I can’t emphasize this enough. Like we’re just not going to compromise. I want to be very clear about that. But I’m very proud to be a part of this opportunity to change the women’s game.”

WNBPA Vice President Breanna Stewartwho co-founded the 3-on-3 Unrivalled League, said he agreed with Plum.

“I think while we’re still fighting for a lot of different things, we have to realize that rev share is a win, especially from the 2020 CBA and even those before,” Stewart said. “Now, as the league makes money, we make money. And when will that happen [Plum] Talks about ‘I don’t think the strike is good for anybody,’ because as soon as the league loses money, or if we have a delay, we lose money, too.”

The WNBPA player body authorized a seven-player executive committee, which includes Plum and Stewart, to authorize a strike “if necessary” in December. This remains a possibility as the two sides have yet to face each other and the WNBA regular season is scheduled to begin on May 8. Last week, the league gave the WNBPA a target date of March 10 to complete a term sheet otherwise the season schedule could be impacted.

A source told ESPN that during a player call on Tuesday, more than half of the player leadership confirmed their willingness to keep a strike on the table as a possible course of action, but the public comments from Stewart and Plum at least indicate there is not a consensus.

After a six-week standoff at the beginning of the year, when the league did not respond to the WNBPA’s offer, both sides made a flurry of offers over the past month. After the WNBPA submitted a counterproposal on Friday, the league responded with a proposal of its own on Sunday.

Sources familiar with the negotiations told ESPN that the league’s new proposal proposes accelerating maximum contract eligibility for star players on rookie contracts. All-WNBA First- and Second-Team players who are still on rookie deals will become eligible to sign a max contract in their fourth year, after which they will no longer be eligible for the Chiefs designation. A player who earns an MVP on a rookie deal may also be eligible for a supermax deal and not be cored.

For example, this would mean the last three No. 1 overall picks – aliyah boston, Caitlin Clark And Paige Bueckers –Will become max-contract eligible in 2026, 2027 and 2028, respectively. The union is demanding the scrapping of the chief designation and reducing the length of rookie-level contracts from four years to three years.

The league’s revenue share proposal is the same as the previous one, although the cap was increased from $5.65 million to $5.75 million in Year 1, rising to $1.5 million in 2025. Sources told ESPN that based on conservative league projections, the salary cap will increase to approximately $8.5 million by the sixth year of the deal.

The league’s proposal includes a maximum salary, including revenue sharing payments, that is projected to reach approximately $1.3 million in 2026 and $2 million in 2031. The 2025 Supermax came in at $249,000. The average player salary, including revenue sharing, is projected to increase from $120,000 in 2025 to $540,000 in 2026 and reach $780,000 by 2031, while the projected minimum salary will increase from $66,000 in 2025 to more than $230,000 in 2026.