With the October 31 deadline looming, the WNBA and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) are locked in tense negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), and the outlook is increasingly grim. According to reporting from Front Office Sports, the two sides remain far apart on key issues, raising the real possibility of a lockout or work stoppage heading into the 2026 season.
The current CBA, signed in 2020, was set to expire after the 2025 season. While both the league and the union have expressed a desire to reach a new deal, progress has been slow. WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson voiced concern over the league’s lack of urgency, stating that players are “working diligently to achieve a transformational CBA,” but fear the league is “just running out the clock”.
Negotiations reached a boiling point during the 2025 All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, where players wore warm-up shirts reading “Pay us what you owe us,” and fans chanted “Pay them” during the MVP presentation. The message was clear: players want more than incremental change, they want structural reform.
The union’s demands include:
- A revamped revenue-sharing model tied to league growth
- Expanded rosters beyond the current 12-player limit
- Enhanced benefits and workplace standards
- A more dynamic salary cap structure, similar to the NBA’s model
Currently, WNBA salary caps increase at a fixed rate of 3% annually, while NBA caps rise in proportion to revenue. With the WNBA securing an 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal and collecting $250 million per team in expansion fees, players argue that compensation should reflect the league’s financial growth.
The stakes are even higher with two new franchises, Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, set to debut in 2026. Expansion drafts, free agency rules, and roster construction all hinge on the terms of the new CBA. Without an agreement, the league risks delaying key milestones and undermining its momentum.
If no deal is reached by October 31, two scenarios are on the table: One; both sides agree to extend the current CBA, as they did in 2019. This would allow negotiations to continue without disrupting operations. Or two; a full work stoppage that would halt preseason activities, delay the draft, and potentially jeopardize the start of the 2026 season.
WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert maintains that talks have been “constructive” and insists the league shares the players’ goals of improving salaries and benefits. But with time running out, optimism is fading.
This moment is about more than contracts, it’s about defining the future of women’s professional basketball. As fans rally behind the players and expansion signals new opportunities, the league must decide whether it’s ready to match its growth with meaningful investment in its athletes.
The next two months could shape the WNBA for the next decade. And if the league and union can’t find common ground, the cost won’t just be financial, it’ll be cultural.
