Why WNBA Players Are Unmoved by League’s Recent CBA Offer

The WNBA’s current CBA is set to expire Nov. 30 after a recent extension.

The WNBA’s CBA will expire Nov. 30 after a 30-day extension | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is set to expire at the end of the month after the league and player’s association agreed to a 30-day extension amid stalled talks last month.

According to a new report from ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, the WNBPA does not view the league’s latest CBA proposal as something that moves negotiations forward. On Tuesday, Doug Feinberg of the Associated Press reported the WNBA’s latest CBA proposal would include revenue sharing with a maximum salary of $1.1 million available to more than one player per team growing each year.

Last season, each team’s salary cap was $1.5 million, with the player supermax set at $249,244, maximum at $214,466 and a minimum salary of $66,079, based on information from Her Hoop Stats. With the WNBA’s recent CBA proposal, player salaries would average more than $460,000 with minimum salaries more than $220,000.

Philippou reported, citing sources, that the WNBPA does not believe the league’s proposal includes a system where the salary cap and player salaries sufficiently grow with the business as the players do not want a fixed salary system and instead want one based more directly on revenue, similar to the NBA.

Where do WNBA CBA negotiations currently stand?

The players chose to opt out of the current CBA last year, which set the stage for negotiations and a potential new deal this offseason. The current CBA was set to expire Oct. 31, but the WNBPA and the league agreed to a 30-day extension on a new deal, setting a new expiration date of Nov. 30.

Negotiations come at a time of contention between the league and its players, which was ignited by Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier's public criticism of commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA's inconsistent officiating in her end of season press conference. With Philippou’s new report that the player’s association thinks the league’s latest proposal falls short, talks on a new deal seem to remain far apart as the WNBA hopes to avoid a potential work stoppage or player strike.

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