Breanna Stewart confirms WNBA CBA talks are gaining traction, hinting at a new revenue fight as significant player gains loom.
Momentum has finally arrived at the WNBA bargaining table, and Breanna Stewart says it feels different this time.
With the 2026 season inching closer and months of stalled dialogue weighing on both sides, the early-February proposal from the Women's National Basketball Association marked the first tangible shift in negotiations between the league office and the Women's National Basketball Players Association in weeks.
For Stewart, the star forward of the New York Liberty and a vice president of the union, the change in tone is meaningful. As a member of the WNBPA executive leadership, she has been directly involved in negotiations that have stretched across 17 to 18 months, often without productive movement.
During a recent episode of her podcast, “Game Recognize Game,” Stewart described the latest proposal as the first to create real traction after a prolonged stalemate.
“The CBA proposal that we got, there's movement. We got traction. We're finally headed in a direction,” Stewart said.
She framed the previous stretch as largely circular, with both sides rejecting offers without meaningful compromise.
“So I'm excited. I'm excited to hopefully negotiate back, and really kind of do the negotiations,” Stewart said. “Because unfortunately, it has been 18, 17 months, and we haven't negotiated. We've just fighting about, 'Well, we don't like your proposal, and you don't like our proposal. And nobody is gonna budge.'”
The league’s recent proposal includes a dramatic increase in financial structure beginning in 2026. Reports indicate the team salary cap would rise to approximately $5.65 million per team, up from roughly $1.5 million in 2025, with built-in growth tied to league revenues.
Maximum salaries would begin in the $1 million to $1.3 million range in 2026, including revenue-sharing components, and could approach $2 million over the life of the agreement. Multiple max-level slots per team are also part of the proposal. Minimum salaries are projected to exceed the mid-$200,000 range, with average salaries expected to surpass $530,000, again including revenue-share allocations.
The proposal also expands benefits, including increased guaranteed contracts, enhanced 401(k) contributions, protections for pregnant players and those with season-ending injuries, and clearer housing standards. Team-funded one-bedroom apartments would be provided for minimum-salary players, with studios designated for developmental players. Two new developmental roster spots per team are also included, creating modest expansion within existing structures.
Still, the core disagreement centers on revenue sharing.
Both sides have agreed in principle to a revenue-share framework. However, reports suggest the league is offering players more than 70% of net revenue — defined as revenue after certain operating expenses — while the union has pushed for a structure more aligned with major professional leagues, where players receive a larger percentage of gross revenue.
Stewart acknowledged the business implications of operating within a shared-revenue model, particularly as talk of a potential work stoppage lingers.
“And that's the thing I've been telling them, is now that we're part of a revenue share model, you miss games, it's less money,” Stewart said. “And not to say that we should submit, and just say yes to any proposals that we don't like. But this is a business now, and that's how businesses go.”
Her remarks reflect a balancing act inside the union — maintaining leverage without undermining the shared revenue pool players are seeking to expand.
“It has been pretty frustrating, but I've been trying to be as involved as I can,” Stewart said. Later in the episode, she added, “I'm feeling better. I'm feeling better. The owners are finally acknowledging and being receptive to what we want. The players, as well, we've all had to kind of put our business hats on and get into that mindset. And I'm hoping we can get this thing done quickly, so that we're not late.”
Time remains a factor. Free agency, an expansion draft and other offseason logistics hinge on ratification before opening night. The union has authorized leadership to call a strike if necessary, but public messaging from leaders including Stewart has emphasized good-faith bargaining.
The latest proposal appears to have shifted negotiations from rejection to revision — a crucial difference. Whether that movement results in a finalized deal may ultimately depend not on salary cap structure or housing standards, but on how “revenue” is defined and how much of it flows to players in a league entering a new financial era.
As Stewart put it, negotiations have finally begun in earnest. What remains unresolved is how the league’s growth will be shared — and how much risk both sides are willing to take to shape that future.