WNBA Players Make Small Concessions to League in CBA Offer

The WNBPA sent a counterproposal to the WNBA Friday evening that included slight changes to the share of revenue players are seeking and team provided housing, according to a source familiar with negotiations.

In their last proposal, shared with the league on Feb. 17, the union asked for a 27.5% share of total team and league revenue over the course of the deal. Their latest asks for a 26% share over the life of the deal. Their proposed salary cap in year one is still roughly $9.45 million. 

This proposal is in response to the league’s sent on Feb. 20 which did not budge from the previously proposed $5.65 million salary cap. The WNBA’s proposed share of revenue would not equate to more than 15% of total team and league revenue during the agreement. 

Both sides have been negotiating for nearly 16 months after the WNBPA opted out of the current CBA in October 2024. The first CBA deadline came and went last October, before both sides agreed to two extensions. The first was a 30-day extension, followed by a 40-day extension. Negotiations entered a period of status quo in January. 

The union made additional concessions regarding team-provided housing. The union has maintained its request for housing for all in the first few years of the agreement before it phases out for players who hit a certain salary threshold. 

Previously, the WNBPA proposed that players who earn a certain percentage of the max salary and were signed to multiyear contracts with full salary protection would not be eligible for team provided housing in later years of the deal. In this counterproposal they moved down on the percentage of the fully guaranteed max salary and shortened the length of the contract to one year in order for a player to be ineligible for team-provided housing. 

The league proposed team-provided housing for all players in 2026. In 2027 only developmental players, rookies, and those signed to the minimum salary would be eligible for housing. In 2028 housing would only be provided to developmental players under the league’s proposal. 

The other topline item was the eligibility cap for the two developmental player positions. The WNBA’s last proposal capped developmental players at five years of service. The union moved down from seven years of service to six as a developmental player. 

This latest offer comes after a week of substantial developments in negotiations. 

The league told players on Monday during a virtual bargaining session that the season would be at risk of delay if both sides did not come to an agreement by March 10. The WNBPA held a virtual meeting for members on Tuesday evening that became contentious, multiple sources told Front Office Sports. One of the main sources of that tension was the approach to a potential strike. Some players felt the strike authorization had lost relevance. Others reaffirmed their commitment to striking if necessary.  

On Wednesday, WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson emailed a letter to players alerting them to an upcoming survey to gather feedback on the league’s last proposal and acknowledging the “at times tough” conversation the night prior. A day later a group of more than 10 of the most prominent agents representing players of many different standings in the league sent a letter to Jackson seeking “transparency and coordinated communication rather than individual conversations.” 

These agents asked to be able to review the league’s latest CBA proposal subject to signing non-disclosure agreements and sought to provide input into the survey. 

“At this stage of negotiations, with time being of the essence, alignment and shared information will best serve the players and the union,” the letter said.