The W Pulse podcast breaks down the WNBA's new CBA, including supermax salaries, housing provisions, roster implications, and what the deal means for players at every level.
The WNBA and WNBPA reached a landmark collective bargaining agreement, and the details will reshape how teams will build rosters, compensate players, and operate.
The latest episode of the W Pulse podcast breaks down everything known so far, covering the supermax era, the most wide-open free agency in league history, and what the new deal means for players at every salary level. Hosts Grant Afseth and CC Andrews discussed the agreement at length, pulling from early reports while the formal written document is still being finalized by league and union lawyers.
"I really feel like this time around they understand what they're worth, what's going on, what they can fight for," Andrews said. "That sentiment to me feels really good moving forward."
The salary cap is expected to reach $7 million in year one and could exceed $10 million by the end of the agreement. The supermax salary starts at $1.4 million in 2026 and could approach $2 million by the final year of the deal, while the average salary is projected to be around $600,000, up from $120,000 previously. The minimum salary is expected to exceed $300,000, up from $66,000 in 2025.
Andrews called the increases genuinely life-changing, particularly for players at the lower end of the pay scale.
"This is money that hopefully when these girls finish playing, they can sit on or they save and they're not, they don't have to run to a job the next day," Andrews said. "They can actually help take care of their family and do what they have to do and take the off-season that they want."
Beyond compensation, the episode covered several provisions that have a significant day-to-day impact on players. Housing assistance for players earning under $500,000 was discussed as one of the most meaningful non-salary wins in the agreement, with Andrews highlighting that roster turnover has historically made housing one of the most stressful aspects of life in the league for younger players.
Afseth also noted that details on facility standards, team staffing requirements, and security protocols are still expected to emerge as the full written agreement is released in the coming weeks, with some teams already building or upgrading dedicated practice facilities.
Andrews argued the era of stacking multiple max-level players on a single team may be coming to an end.
"I don't think you're going to be able to afford a big three anymore," Andrews said. "I think we're going to see a lot more players make more personal, financial decisions than we've seen in the past because the money's just really, really totally different at this point."
Afseth and Andrews also broke down the core designation rule change taking effect in 2027, which limits the designation to players with seven or fewer years of experience, and discussed how that shift affects veterans across several contending rosters heading into a free agency period in which roughly 80 percent of the league is expected to be available.
The episode also covers the free-agent landscape, team by team; draft implications for Dallas, Minnesota, Seattle, and Washington; and the expanded regular-season schedule, which will reach 52 games over the life of the seven-year deal, including an opt-out clause after year six.