NEW YORK -- Many have already said this but the WNBA is heading towards a historical and transformational deal.
After a verbal agreement on early Wednesday morning, Alexa Philippou of ESPN has reported that the league and the Players' Association have made it official as they signed the term sheet for the new Collective Bargaining Agreement on Friday. The CBA will last seven years with an opt-out on the sixth year.
All the key elements are in this press release but let's highlight some of these terms.
*The salary cap will jump from $1.5 million to $7 million. It is projected that the salary cap could exceed $10 million by the end of the term.
*The maximum deal is at $1.4 million for 2026. That's a big jump from $249,000 last year. The max could go as high as $2.4 mil by 2032.
*The average deal for a WNBA player is expected to be around $583,000 in 2026. That's also a big jump from around $115,000 last year, according to Statista, which was cited by Sporting News. It's expected to hit a million by the end of this CBA.
*Minimum salaries will range from $270,000 to $300,000 next year. It's projected to be around $340,000 to $380,000 by 2032. By the way, 2025 Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers earned only $78K last year.
*There will be a new CBA provision called EPIC (Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract). It's for players to renegotiate their fourth-year salary to earn a standard max so long as they have been All-WNBA first or second team in the past (or supermax if they won MVP). Caitlin Clark was used as an example; she will see her salary jump to $530,000 in 2026 and then can negotiate for a $1.3 million deal in 2027.
*Teams are required to have 12 players as well as two development players. Most teams usually carried around 11 players in the past because of the salary cap limitations and players always came and went. From here on out, most players should be able to stick in the league.
*Changes to the core designation. A player that gets cored loses their unrestricted status and can only negotiate with the team they previously played for. Now this designation only applies to players with six or fewer years of WNBA service.
*Games will eventually increase to up to 50 games in 2027 and 2028 and then up to 52 in 2029 through 2032. This was expected considering there are 15 teams starting this season and then 18 by 2030.
*Housing will be provided to all players in the first three years of the new CBA. In 2029 and 2030, only players who are making $500,000 or under are eligible for housing. Then in 2031, only developmental players get this benefit.
*Codified league-wide charter air travel.
*Pregnant players have to consent to a trade. Folks remember what happened to Dearica Hamby.
*Salary cap exceptions for injured and pregnant players.
There are a lot more items like retirement benefits, life insurance benefits, benefits for retired players based on years of service, expanded team staff requirements, and increases in bonus compensation for league and postseason awards.
The term sheet still needs to be ratified by the board of governors and the players. But all in all, the new CBA looks very promising. And not to repeat it again but it is also transformational.
