WNBA players grapple with deep league uncertainty as stalled labor talks cast a shadow over free agency and future seasons.
Sophie Cunningham says the WNBA’s labor uncertainty has grown so severe that players are unsure whether the league will operate next year, a concern she described while reflecting on her future and the trajectory of the sport.
The free-agent guard, speaking to Front Office Sports while rehabbing a season-ending MCL tear, said the league’s stalled negotiations have overshadowed everything from free agency to roster planning. Cunningham averaged 8.6 points and 3.5 rebounds for the Indiana Fever in 2025 after six seasons with the Phoenix Mercury. She suffered her injury in August but has remained visible off the court, including a recent stint as Caitlin Clark’s caddie during an LPGA event.
What Cunningham made clear is that the uncertainty around the league has overshadowed every other storyline, including Indiana’s belief that it was close to making a deeper postseason run.
Before addressing the CBA, she said the Fever’s potential hinges partly on something they struggled to maintain all year.
After discussing that internal view, Cunningham pivoted to a broader issue that has filtered into every offseason conversation: whether the WNBA can stabilize its financial model quickly enough to assure players they will even have a league to return to.
Cunningham said the silence around negotiations has been noticeable. She noted that updates to players typically arrive when something meaningful has shifted — something that has not happened in weeks. That lack of movement, she said, has created tension for players trying to plan for 2026.
As for her own free-agency situation, Cunningham said communication exists among former teammates but there is little substance to discuss until the league finalizes a deal. Some teams, she said, are in the same holding pattern.
Talk of potential salary structures — including reports of an $850,000 supermax figure — has circulated around the league, but Cunningham said the specifics matter less to her than whether player compensation will rise with league revenues. For many players, she said, that is the core principle at stake.
The slow pace of talks has also coincided with interest from competing ventures. A handful of players have already explored “Unrivaled,” and another upstart, “Project B,” has captured attention by reportedly offering multi-million-dollar deals. Cunningham said she is watching developments but remains cautious until details are confirmed.
Off the court, Cunningham said the rise in visibility around the WNBA has reshaped her endorsement landscape. Partnerships she now considers routine were unheard of early in her career, and she said the league’s growth has attracted brands that align more closely with players’ personalities.
Below are Cunningham’s full comments, separated and contextualized in Associated Press style.
She began by describing what she felt Indiana needed to take another step.
“Honestly, I think the missing piece is just being healthy,” Cunningham said. “Even when we weren’t healthy, we were a couple calls away from making it to the Finals.”
She said those internal improvements might not matter if the league itself cannot provide stability.
“There is a lot of uncertainty … with the CBA, with the money, if we’re even going to have a league next year,” she said. “When money is waved in people’s faces, you just never know.”
Asked whether she expects to return to the Fever, Cunningham said players cannot make decisions without knowing the league’s structure.
“There’s really not a lot to talk about until there’s a new CBA,” she said. “That’s how it is across the league.”
She said talks have not produced new information in weeks.
“I think the last meeting was about two weeks ago,” she said. “I don’t think there’s been much movement. Normally we don’t have meetings unless something big is happening.”
That absence, she said, has been striking.
“It’s been two weeks and we haven’t had one,” Cunningham said. “I’m not so sure where they’re at. But for us players, we’re standing strong on what we want.”
Cunningham said players want assurance that salaries will grow alongside revenues.
“They can wave a big number in your face,” she said. “But what happens when the business continues to go up? Do our salaries go up, or do they stay the same?”
On Project B, she said players will always listen when the compensation is significant.
“You see stuff on social media, but you’ve got to take it with a grain of salt,” she said. “But if people are going to be paying you multi-million-dollar deals, why would you not?”
When asked how off-court opportunities have changed, she said the shift has been dramatic.
“Night and day,” Cunningham said. “Because of where the W is at … you get to work with authentic, awesome brands.”
She said her recent Sun Cruiser partnership was an easy fit because of her lifestyle.
“I’m all about the pool,” she said. “I want to be at the lake, I want to be on a beach, I want to be with my friends hanging out, drinking.”
She added that the decision required no hesitation.
“When they came to me, I said, ‘say less, sign me up,’” she said. “I don’t care what the money looks like. Give me that drink.”