WNBA eyes Monday deadline for new CBA. Critical decisions on expansion, free agency, and draft hang in the balance, pushing negotiations to the brink.
The clock is officially ticking for the WNBA and its players’ union.
After days of marathon negotiations in New York, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert made it clear that both sides are running out of time to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement.
“We have to get a deal done by Monday,” Engelbert said, according to the Associated Press. “We have to get it done without disrupting some part of the fact that we’ve got to run this two-team expansion draft. We’ve got to get expansion going. Got to get free agency going. We gotta get the college draft.”
Negotiations between league officials and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association have now stretched beyond 48 hours of meetings across four consecutive days, with discussions continuing through the weekend.
The urgency isn’t just symbolic. Without a finalized agreement by March 16, the timeline for several major league events could be thrown into chaos.
The 2026 WNBA Draft is scheduled for April 13, followed by training camp beginning April 19. Preseason games are set to run from April 25 through May 3, with the regular season currently scheduled to tip off on May 8.
But before any of that can happen, several major league processes remain frozen until a new CBA is signed. Free agency has yet to open, and the expansion drafts for the league’s two newest franchises — the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo — cannot proceed without finalized rules.
That pressure has kept both sides at the negotiating table around the clock.
WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson described the latest discussions as productive, emphasizing that steady progress has been made during the extended talks.
“We have been there committed round the clock and speaking very passionately and factually,” Jackson said. “As long as movement keeps us going in a forward direction, then I think we’re good.”
The most contentious issues remain familiar ones: revenue sharing and the salary cap.
The players’ union is pushing for a system that ties salaries directly to league revenue, requesting 25 percent of gross revenue in the first year, with increases over time. The league’s latest proposal instead offers players more than 70 percent of net league and team revenue, a key distinction that continues to divide the two sides.
There has been progress in other areas, however. The WNBA’s most recent offer reportedly includes a Year 1 salary cap of $6.2 million, a massive jump from the $1.5 million cap in 2025. The proposal would also introduce a maximum base salary exceeding $1.3 million, with potential to reach nearly $2 million over the life of the agreement.
While negotiations continue, the players have made it clear they are prepared to escalate matters if necessary. In December, WNBPA members voted 98 percent in favor of authorizing a strike should talks break down.
Despite that possibility, both sides have consistently emphasized their goal of reaching what Engelbert has repeatedly called a “transformational deal” for the league.
With expansion teams waiting, free agency frozen, and the draft approaching quickly, the next few days could prove pivotal for the future of the WNBA’s upcoming season.