WNBA, union agree to CBA extension; what’s next in negotiations?

Approximately 24 hours before the expiration of the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, the league and the WNBPA Agreed on 30-day extension of current CBA As the parties work toward a new deal.

More than a year ago, the WNBPA opted out of the CBA, giving the union and the league about a year to create a new “transformational” deal that could build on the massive growth the WNBA has experienced over the past few years.

Tensions between the two sides have increased in recent months and there was no sign a deal would be reached before Friday’s deadline.

As recently as Tuesday, WNBPA attorney Erin D. Drake said on The Athletic’s “No Offseason” podcast that a deal “is not going to happen” by Friday and claimed the league has acted with a lack of urgency. The League responded that the union should “spend less time spreading public misinformation and more time joining us in constructive engagement at the table.”

The league has offered players a 30-day extension, with a source telling ESPN on Tuesday that they might be willing to consider it “under the right circumstances,” but he feels “those circumstances don’t exist right now.”

By the end of the week the players changed their stance and ESPN confirmed Thursday night that an agreement had been reached to extend the current CBA through November 30.

How did we get here and what happens next? With a lot to figure out before the season ends in May, ESPN explores what to expect under the new timeline.

What happens now that a small expansion has taken place?

The agreement indicates that both sides want to continue negotiations in the hope of reaching an agreement soon.

During the last CBA negotiations in 2019, the WNBPA and WNBA agreed to a 60-day extension before finalizing a new deal in January 2020. But there was no major time crunch then as there is now, needing to fit in a two-team expansion draft and a massive free agency period, where nearly all of the league’s veterans are looking for new deals before the 2026 season begins in May.

Although the two sides met several times this week to hammer out a deal ahead of Friday’s deadline, it is not yet clear how often they will meet during the next 30 days. Those meetings typically include WNBA and NBA staff, plus their outside counsel, as well as WNBPA staff and its outside counsel, and potentially union advisors and player leadership.

But… what happens if there is no deal at the end of 30 days?

Another extension is always possible, although the WNBA has a lot to fit into this offseason. And even if the deal is closed, the work will stop No Follow automatically.

Technically no extension is needed for either side to continue bargaining – instead they will enter a phase called “status quo” in which the working conditions of the current CBA will remain in place.

Problem: If there is no extension, it would open the door to a possible work stoppage, either a strike initiated by the players or a lockout initiated by the owners. So far, this is not a huge concern. Even before the extension was announced, sources leaguewide said they did not believe a work stoppage was imminent.

What is the biggest issue keeping the sides apart?

In public comments, players have said the two sides are effectively speaking different languages ​​at the bargaining table, with the key issue being what the pay system and revenue sharing should look like.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said on the “Today” show last week that WNBA players can expect a “big increase” in their salaries. But players are looking for a salary system that grows with business rather than a fixed rate model as in the current CBA (like in the NBA, which uses basketball-related income to set its salary cap). The WNBPA said last week that the league “has put lipstick on a pig and reimposed a system that is not tied to any part of the business and intentionally undervalues ​​the players.”

The league, for its part, has stressed that it has offered “an uncapped revenue sharing model that is directly tied to league performance.” And he has continued to maintain that he wants to, as WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said during the WNBA Finals, “balance significant increases in salaries and benefits with the long-term viability of the league” and that so far “the Players Association has not yet presented a viable economic proposal.”

Front Office Sports reported earlier this month that the league’s offer included a supermax salary of about $850,000 and a veteran’s minimum salary of about $300,000, but it is believed those figures have since changed. In 2025 under the current CBA, these numbers were $249,244 and $66,079, respectively.

What other priorities are top of mind at the bargaining table?

The players have also clarified a number of other priorities since their exit from the current CBA in October 2024. Establishing minimum professional standards in facilities and staffing is to codify the league’s charter travel program, which was introduced beginning in the 2024 season.

Expanding retirement and pregnancy/family planning benefits have also been at the forefront of players’ minds. After more than 40 players across the league met before All-Star Weekend in late July, WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart said the only two bullet points the two sides had agreed upon at that time were related to those topics.

Prioritization, a set of rules that require WNBA players competing in other leagues to show up on time for WNBA training camp or else be suspended for the entire season, became a controversial topic after it was introduced in the last CBA. But it’s unlikely owners will want to loosen those rules, especially amid expected salary increases across the league.

Players have also expressed a desire to completely weaken or eliminate the “core” system, similar to the NFL’s franchise tag, which was already substantially watered down in the previous CBA.

What about this shortened offseason schedule? What needs to happen before the next season starts?

A lot, starting with an expansion draft for the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo, which can’t happen until new roster rules are finalized as part of CBA negotiations. Once it’s concluded, free agency offers unprecedented uncertainty with nearly half the league’s players unrestricted.

The situation is very different from previous CBA negotiations which lasted until spring 2003. The CBA introduced free agency for the first time, and only for a limited number of players, meaning the league could go from initial agreements with players on April 18 to training camp starting two weeks later on May 1 – with both the WNBA Draft and a dispersal draft in between.

We saw the NBA go from its initial agreement to end its 2011 lockout on November 26 to training camps starting on December 9 in less than two weeks, but the league was able to hold free agency at the same time. This is not realistic given the scope of WNBA free agency, and the new CBA could change the salary cap in the WNBA more dramatically than one NBA deal to another.

As a result, approximately three weeks is the fastest time the WNBA can realistically expect to go from agreement on a deal to conducting practices. Ideally, of course, the league would like to make progress toward an agreement by early January to avoid too much delay in the normal offseason schedule. This is especially important for the Fire and Tempo, who can get a boost in their inaugural season by adding real players to their roster.