TL;DR
- WNBA and WNBPA face deadline for new agreement after 30-day extension expired.
- WNBA's $1.1 million supermax salary proposal deemed inadequate by the union.
- Expansion drafts for Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo are contingent on a new CBA.
- Stalemate threatens league calendar; additional extension or work stoppage possible.
The WNBA and the WNBPA are running out of time.
The league and the players' union reached a 30-day extension of their current collective bargaining agreement on October 30th, with the expectation of finalizing a landmark new agreement by the close of November.
The WNBA presented the WNBPA with a proposal last week, featuring a supermax salary of $1.1 million for eligible players.
While the seven-figure compensation drew widespread notice, the union ultimately deemed the collective bargaining agreement proposal to be inadequate.
The WNBA reportedly hasn't yet assured its players they'll share in the league's projected financial expansion via increased revenue distribution, mirroring approaches seen in the NBA and NFL.
And so, the two sides remain locked in a stalemate, which threatens to throw the league calendar into chaos.
The WNBA will welcome two expansion teams, the Portland Fire and the Toronto Tempo, in 2026. These franchises will need to select players from the existing 13 teams through expansion drafts to establish their rosters. However, these drafts are contingent upon the ratification of a new collective bargaining agreement.
Additional scenarios involving work stoppages are being considered.
Should significant headway not be achieved within the coming two days, the WNBA and the WNBPA might consent to an additional extension extending through 2025.
Such an action has historical backing. The current agreement, the 2020 CBA, was provisionally accepted in January 2020 following a 60-day extension that permitted ongoing discussions.
Negotiations between the two parties might proceed even if a new Collective Bargaining Agreement isn't finalized. A work interruption, whether an owner-imposed lockout or a player-led strike, wouldn't commence without an official decision from either group.
Despite lingering optimism for a deal before the deadline, the past month has seen minimal discernible advancement. This situation places the WNBA and its athletes in a vulnerable spot, particularly with the emergence of the competing offseason league Project B, which might shift the landscape of professional women's basketball.
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