WNBA’s Latest CBA Proposal Could Fast-Track Max Contracts for Young Stars Like Caitlin Clark

The WNBA has proposed allowing young stars to reach max contract status faster.

Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark could get a max contract much earlier if the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement proposal is accepted by the union. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark could get a big deal a lot sooner than expected.

On Sunday night, the WNBA presented its latest collective bargaining agreement proposal to the league’s players. Among the provisions was a pay raise and a path that would allow some of the league’s young stars to earn maximum salaries sooner.

The offer came two days after the union presented its most recent offer. The max contract provision states that any player on a rookie contract who was first- or second-team All-WNBA would become eligible for a max contract in their fourth year and would also not be eligible for a franchise tag designation after that extension.

Under that language, Clark would be eligible for a max deal in 2027, while Fever forward Aliyah Boston could ink one this year and Wings guard Paige Bueckers would be eligible in 2028.

The league’s latest proposal would also raise the salary cap to $5.75 million in the first year, which is a 280% jump from 2025’s total of $1.5 million. The cap would gradually rise to $8.5 million by the sixth year of the agreement. Maximum salaries would jump from $249,000 to $1.3 million, and the league’s average salary would increase from $120,000 to $540,000 in the first year.

Crucially, the WNBA did not change its revenue-sharing model in this proposal. The league has proposed giving players 70% of its net revenue, while the union recently asked for an average of 26% of gross revenue, the number that is calculated before expenses. The league has categorically refused that proposal.

Union vice president Kelsey Plum addressed the latest update in the negotiations and the potential for a looming strike. “I want to play, and players want to play,” Plum said. “Obviously, we're going to continue to negotiate and do everything we possibly can to get this done in a timely fashion. But obviously, a strike would be the worst thing for both sides. ... Because we are in a revenue [share system], so no revenue, no revenue to share.”

The WNBA has established March 10 as the “drop-dead” day for the new CBA to be agreed to in order to ensure the season starts on time on May 8. We are rapidly approaching that cutoff. If an agreement is reached, it would likely take about three weeks to ratify it.

There is urgency to get things done, with an expansion draft set for April 6 when Toronto and Portland’s new teams will be added to the league. Meanwhile, free agency is set to begin on April 12, while the 2026 WNBA draft is scheduled for April 13.

There is a lot to get done in a short time, and the clock is ticking.

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