WNBA, Players' Association Unlikely to Complete New CBA Before Deadline

The WNBA and the players association are not likely to complete a new CBA for 2026 and beyond by the Friday deadline this week.

Oct 3, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert talks during a presser before the start of game one of the 2025 WNBA Finals between the Phoenix Mercury and the Las Vegas Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

There are plenty of individual issues going on with the Connecticut Sun as a franchise that need to be resolved heading into the upcoming offseason, whether that be the performance of the roster this past season, or the potential sale or relocation of the franchise that has been discussed ad nauseam throughout the course of the last few weeks to months.

However, none of that is going to end up mattering in the short term if the WNBA and WNBPA are not able to agree upon a new CBA heading into the 2026 season. With the deadline for a new CBA to be completed being this upcoming Friday, they are both incentivized to work harder than ever to complete it. Unfortunately, new reports indicate both sides remain at a stalemate, as they both have demands or rebuttals that need to be addressed.

Ben Pickman of The Athletic (subscription required) recently provided the latest information on the current attempt at finalizing an agreement and where both sides stand in this current back-and-forth. With the WNBA having more eyes drawn in than ever, this is the time that both sides need to get things right, as otherwise it could lead to disaster one way or another.

What is the Latest Information on a New CBA Being Completed?

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

In the recent article put together by Pickman, he noted some key developments in the process over the course of the month, stating the following on how things have continued to evolve since the beginning of October:

"The WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association are extremely unlikely to reach a new collective bargaining agreement by Friday’s deadline, according to the players’ union legal counsel."

"The two sides will continue to meet this week, but they remain widely divided on the wedge issue of revenue sharing and how that framework would impact player salaries. In a statement Tuesday, a WNBA spokesperson said the league submitted a proposal to the players on Oct. 1. The proposal, according to sources with knowledge of the negotiation, included a maximum salary of $850,000."

"The league spokesperson said the players’ union responded to the WNBA proposal on Oct. 27."

The maximum salary being bumped to $850,000 at this point is an intriguing notion, given the previous super-max contract was valued at $249,244. With that said, the WNBA is bigger than it ever has been, and with how much attention the league is drawing, it will certainly be interesting to see how much this number continues to fluctuate as negotiations continue up to, and likely beyond, the deadline.

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