Players' union proposal sits unanswered as WNBA contract talks stall, fueling player frustration with an uncertain future just months before the season.
The WNBA has not formally responded to a players’ union proposal submitted more than a month ago, leaving collective bargaining talks stalled as the league approaches a critical point on the calendar.
According to Sports Business Journal, negotiations between the league and the WNBA Players Association remain ongoing but unresolved, with frustration mounting on the union’s side over what it views as a prolonged silence. League-aligned sources, however, told SBJ they believe meaningful concessions have already been made and dispute the notion that negotiations have stalled due to inaction.
The disconnect has produced a familiar dynamic in labor talks: both sides waiting for the other to move first. With the end of January approaching and the 2026 season scheduled to open May 8, there is still no agreement in place and no clear indication of when one might emerge.
On the surface, the league has continued to operate as if a deal will be completed. The WNBA recently released its 2026 schedule and has kept sponsors and media partners informed of major offseason dates. According to Sports Business Journal, that posture has raised concerns within the union, which has been authorized by its membership to strike if negotiations break down. Union sources questioned whether the league’s public approach adequately reflects the urgency of the moment.
The central issue remains revenue sharing. In December, the union proposed receiving 30% of league revenue along with a team salary cap exceeding $10 million. According to SBJ, league officials ran financial models based on that framework and concluded it would result in losses of roughly $700 million over the life of a six-year agreement.
Rather than issuing a direct counterproposal, league sources told SBJ they did not view a formal response as necessary, particularly after their own offer was met with resistance. That proposal included a maximum salary north of $1.3 million by 2026, an average salary of approximately $530,000, and a structure allocating players 70% of net revenue.
Union sources, according to SBJ, viewed that figure as misleading, estimating that 70% of net revenue equates to roughly 15% of gross revenue. That calculation rendered the offer unacceptable and reinforced the union’s insistence on a higher percentage tied to overall business growth.
The lack of a response has effectively frozen momentum. Sports Business Journal reported that 104 days remain before the 2026 season opener, yet there is still no agreement governing free agency, an expansion draft, or offseason planning.
League sources maintain that substantial progress has been made, pointing to concessions on several long-standing player priorities. Those include eliminating the hard salary cap, adopting a revenue-sharing model designed to scale as the league grows, and factoring team-level revenue into the overall revenue split.
Union officials, however, have downplayed the significance of those moves, characterizing them as foundational principles rather than transformative compromises. From the players’ perspective, the absence of a response to their revenue proposal overshadows any incremental progress elsewhere.
Players have been open about their desired timeline. Breanna Stewart has said she hoped for an agreement by Feb. 1 or shortly thereafter, a window she believed would allow the league to proceed smoothly with expansion, free agency and a season starting on time.
According to Sports Business Journal, that timeline now appears increasingly unlikely unless the league responds to the union’s proposal or the players retreat from their 30% revenue request. Until then, negotiations remain at an impasse — not because talks have stopped, but because one side is still waiting to hear back.