WNBA Salary Cap: What Contracts and Max Deals Look Like Amid Free Agency

Here’s what the WNBA salary cap and max contracts look like in 2026.

Aug 15, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) and guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrate in the first half against the LA Sparks Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The benefits of the new WNBA CBA are being reaped—immediately. That's because free agency is underway and more than 100 players will sign new contracts, while the players who were still under contract will receive significant raises under the league's new pay scale.

Here's how that looks in 2026 when it comes to the salary cap, max, average, and minimum player salaries.

2026 Salary Cap

The salary cap is poised to increase annually over the course of the deal based on league and team revenue growth, but is set at $7 million in 2026—an increase of nearly 5x what it was in 2025.

Max Contracts

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The supermax will start at $1.4 million, which is up from about $250,000 last season. For players not yet supermax eligible, the maximum contract is $1.19 million for 2026.

Core Designation

The core designation works like a franchise tag in the NFL. Under the new CBA, a player can be cored twice before their 7th season, but they are not core eligible after seven years of service. However, that change does not take effect until 2027.

A core comes with a one-year supermax deal in exchange for exclusive negotiating rights, but the player and team can negotiate different terms. A core player can also be signed and traded, but only the team that cored them can offer the supermax.

Several stars have already been cored, including Kelsey Mitchell of the Indiana Fever, Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx, Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty, and Kelsey Plum of the Los Angeles Sparks.

EPIC Provision

Jun 22, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Indiana Fever center Aliyah Boston (7) celebrates with guard Caitlin Clark (22) after scoring against the Las Vegas Aces during the first half of a WNBA basketball game at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images | Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

A new wrinkle under the CBA is the "EPIC" provision (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract). This allows players to renegotiate what would have been the fourth year of their rookie deal and agree to a three-year contract extension. They can earn the max salary in that fourth year if they were previously named to the All-WNBA First Team or All-WNBA Second Team, or the supermax salary if they won the MVP award. This notably applies to the Fever's Aliyah Boston now, Caitlin Clark next season, and Paige Bueckers of the Dallas Wings in 2028.

Average and Minimum Salaries

The average salary will be $583,000 for 2026 with minimums ranging from $270,000 to $300,000 based on years of service in the league.

More than 100 players entered free agency and contracts can be signed as soon as April 11. So the transactions will be rapid and players are about to get paid.