Clark advocates for a direct approach to WNBA contract talks, urging leaders to meet face-to-face and finalize a fair agreement for all.
Caitlin Clark has a simple solution to the WNBA's stalled collective bargaining agreement negotiations: get both sides in the same room and shake hands.
Clark made the comments Saturday at USA Basketball training camp in Miami, where the national team gathered ahead of the FIBA Women's World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico. With the league's March 10 target date looming and neither side making notable economic concessions, Clark made clear she believes the path forward is straightforward.
"I don't understand why we don't just get in a room and iron it out and shake hands," Clark said, via Front Office Sports. "That's how business is. You look each other in the eye, you shake hands, you respect both sides. For me, that's what I would love to see."
The Indiana Fever guard is among the players set to make her senior national team competitive debut in Puerto Rico alongside Angel Reese, Kiki Iriafen, and Paige Bueckers. Despite the CBA uncertainty hanging over the league, Clark said she is preparing as though the season will begin as scheduled on May 8.
The negotiations have been grinding for months, with progress measured in inches rather than yards. The players submitted their latest counter to the league Friday night, according to a source familiar with the negotiations, but no deal is in sight.
The WNBA set March 10 as a target date during a bargaining session on Feb. 23, warning that the league's 30th season could be delayed if the deadline passes without an agreement.
The timeline pressure is real. Before the season can begin, the league must execute an expansion draft, free agency for more than 100 players, and a collegiate draft slated for April 13. Each day without a deal compresses that window further.
Clark acknowledged the CBA conversations among players have gotten heavy but said staying confident is critical.
"The bus ride from our hotel to the practice facility, there are conversations that happen, and they get heavy at times," Clark said. "But I think it's important we remain confident."
The WNBPA's seven-player executive committee reaffirmed its unity in a statement Wednesday, saying a recent player survey showed 84 percent of respondents would not accept the league's current proposal of 50 percent of net revenue — which the union characterized as less than 15 percent of gross revenue in an eight-year deal — and want the union to keep negotiating.
For Clark, the answer to all of it is simpler than the back-and-forth of formal bargaining sessions. She wants both sides face to face until a deal gets done.