WNBA, players’ union verbally agree to new CBA terms

The WNBA and WNBPA finally reached a verbal agreement on new Collective Bargaining Agreement terms in the early hours of Wednesday morning after over 100 hours of in-person meetings in New York over the past week. A formal term sheet still needs to be finalized and ratified by the players and the WNBA Board of Governors. More details of the agreement are expected to be announced once a term sheet is completed in the coming days.

"For the first time, player salaries are tied to a truly meaningful share of league revenue, driving exponential growth in the salary cap, increasing average compensation beyond half a million dollars and raising the standard across facilities, staffing and support," WNBPA President Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement.

With the new CBA, the salary cap will reportedly start at $7 million (was $1.5 million in 2025) and exceed $10 million by the end of the agreement. The supermax will start at $1.4 million ($249,244 in 2025), the average salary will be around $600,000 ($120,000 in 2025) and the minimum salary will surpass $300,000 ($66,079 in 2025), according to ESPN. Sports Business Journal reports a $6.9 million salary cap and that the core designation remains in some form. Both report that the average revenue share would be nearly 20% across the length of the deal. ESPN and Front Office Sports report that it will be a seven-year deal with an opt out after year six. The agreement is also expected to enhance various player benefits, codify charter travel and establish other professional standards.

Despite work still to be done, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told reporters that the 2026 schedule will not change and that the season will begin on time. Training camps are set to open April 19, with preseason games beginning April 25 and the regular season starting on May 8. Exact dates for the rest of the offseason calendar have yet to be announced. Dates that were reportedly provided to teams back in February had April 1-6 marked for the Expansion Draft (includes teams protecting their players, coin flip between Toronto and Portland, and actual draft) and April 7-18 for free agency (7-8 for designations and qualifying offers, 9-11 for negotiations, 12-18 for signings). The college draft is scheduled for April 13.