The WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement has almost expired, again. After the initial 30-day extension, little has been achieved. The WNBA proposed a CBA with maximum salaries trending to more than $ 1.1 million. That would have gone to the top tier of players like Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and others. However, that was still not enough to please the WNBPA. 

Well, the proposal wasn’t exactly a straightforward increase to $1.1 million. According to The Athletic, that sum was made up of a combination of base salary, which was around $800,000 to $850,000, and lacked the kind of revenue-sharing system the players want. 

Now, with no resolution in sight, the WNBPA has issued a statement regarding the future of these negotiations. “We have proposed a six-week extension. We expect substantive movement from the league within this window,” the union said via ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

The WNBPA initially also considered a short 24-hour extension, but a longer one was eventually agreed upon. 

“The WNBA and WNBPA have agreed to extend the current CBA through January 9, 2026, with either party having the option to terminate the extension with 48 hours’ advance notice. The WNBA and WNBPA are continuing to work toward a new agreement,” the WNBA said (via Alexa Philippou).

Another extension is a good sign, as opposed to what some might think. Long CBA negotiations aren’t unusual; the current deal wasn’t finished until January 2020 after months of talks in 2019. The NBA’s 2011 lockout lasted 5 months, after which a new CBA was agreed upon in December. Fortunately, the WNBA isn’t completely shut down yet.

Still, free agency will be delayed until the new CBA is agreed upon. Generally, it starts in January. The longer this drags on, the more it affects the league. Competitors are waiting to pounce on their moment of weakness. 

Project B has signed 7 players, luring them with a reported $2M salaries, along with significant equity.

“A lot of tailwinds,” Project B co-founder & COO Grady Burnett said. “Yes, the timing works, and businesses do great when you have tailwinds behind you. And fortunately, we do.”

Unrivaled season 2 would be in full flow by the time these negotiations come to a close. The league needs a new CBA for its internal working as well, as it prepares to welcome two new franchises at this pivotal time. 

CBA Uncertainty Makes Toronto And Portland’s Lives Difficult

Toronto Tempo paid a reported $50 million as an expansion fee. The Portland WNBA franchise paid a reported $125 million, which also included the cost of a new practice facility. It feels cheap as the next three franchises will be paying $250 million each. 

However, both teams can’t begin with their team building because of the stranded CBA negotiations. Their expansion draft dates are not yet set. The basic building blocks of the team aren’t ready to be built, and the worst part it they can’t do anything about it.

According to ESPN, “both teams are trying to prepare for it. But they are ‘working with more questions than answers.” Currently, they are running with the assumption that the expansion draft will be carried out in a similar fashion to last year. 

ESPN reported that the league is looking to continue that same format. The preexisting teams will be permitted to shield five players from their current roster. To make matters even more murky, the league is already preparing for the worst-case scenario: “the expansion draft, free agency, and college draft to all be held between March and the beginning of April.”

A compressed calendar doesn’t just leave them ‘uncooked’, it forces first‑year staff to make franchise‑defining decisions in a matter of weeks, with almost no time to react to who shakes loose in expansion or free agency. Golden State did not face these problems, while Portland will be facing a firestorm of expectations anyway.