WNBA CBA Second Deadline Approaching With No Resolution In Sight

With the initial WNBA CBA deadline passing, the second is rapidly approaching, and a failure to complete a deal may set the Connecticut Sun and others back.

Aug 19, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; The WNBA logo is seen on a ball before the Golden State Valkyries play the Phoenix Mercury at Chase Center. / Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

The Connecticut Sun are coming off one of their worst seasons, and in doing so, are looking to improve things throughout the upcoming offseason. Bringing in some new talent via free agency and the WNBA Draft, while also developing the current players they have under contract, will be key to showing some positive momentum during the 2026 campaign.

To do any of that, though, the WNBA and the players' union need to reach an agreement on a new CBA, and negotiations are still ongoing as the second deadline approaches. With the first deadline being burned and extended to November 30, the hope was that the two sides would be able to find some sort of agreement by now. However, no official report has been made to indicate that they have, and with that, some sort of change needs to happen.

WNBA's current CBA proposal includes:

- Max salary of more than $1.1M
- Minimum salary of more than $220K
- Average salary of more than $460K

(per @DougFeinberg)

— Underdog WNBA (@UnderdogWNBA) November 19, 2025

An additional extension is possible if the sides agree to it, but there are also other options possible, which would make things more difficult. It is clear that the players deserve to be compensated fairly after an outstanding 2025 season. Now, it is just a matter of figuring out the value they are hoping for and meeting it in the next few weeks if a deal is not completed before the deadline.

What is the Latest Information as the CBA Deadline Approaches?

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

According to a new report from Ben Pickman of The Athletic (subscription required), there is currently still a pretty wide gap in negotiations between the two sides ahead of the deadline. From the article, Pickman was quoted as saying the following:

"Sunday night marks the expiration, and significant gaps remain, especially regarding the league’s salary system going forward, sources with knowledge of the discussions told The Athletic."

In addition, he notes that there are a few options tonight for things to progress or continue. If a deal were not to be reached, the two sides could agree to extend the deadline again, or, if not, they would enter a "status quo" where players could come in and work out at team facilities while also receiving medical benefits. A work stoppage would not be immediate, and this would give a little more time to negotiate if an extension were not put in place.

With the WNBA season likely already being impacted by this deadline being pushed back once, twice would certainly put a crunch on the timeline for many offseason events. Ultimately, it comes down to how things are finalized before Sunday at midnight, and which option they choose to utilize.

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