The WNBA's 2026 season may be delayed, as negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) are still ongoing. The league's announcement of a 44-game schedule and a May 8 start date may be premature, given the current state of negotiations.
The players' union has been waiting for a response to its proposal, which includes a 30% share of the league's gross revenue and a salary cap of $10.5 million. The league's proposal, on the other hand, offers a max base salary of $1 million, which would increase to more than $1.3 million with revenue sharing. The league is proposing to share roughly 70% of its net revenue over the deal's duration.
The salary cap for each team would be $5 million in Year 1 and would grow in tandem with the league's revenue. The supermax salary in 2025 was $249,244, and the league minimum was $66,079. The salary cap for each team was $1.5 million.
While the league has never lost games to a work stoppage in its 29-year history, the next two weeks will be an indicator of whether its 30th season will be the first time it does. The union voted to authorize a strike in December, but it has previously said it was a measure of preparedness and not an indication of if or when they would strike.
The league must conduct an expansion draft and free agency before the 2026 season can begin, both of which hinge upon a deal being reached for a new CBA. General managers are still in the dark regarding rules for the two-team expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and the Portland Fire, including whether there will be a window for pre-expansion transactions. The core designation, similar to the NFL franchise tag, is being discussed in negotiations that could significantly impact the expansion draft.
The union proposed eliminating the designation altogether, but the league has been unresponsive to that suggestion. Multiple league sources believe the best-case scenario for free agency would be early March, and that's if the ink dries on a new CBA by early February, giving the WNBA the rest of the month to plan and conduct an expansion draft. In a typical year, free agency begins in early January and all major signings are commonly wrapped up by early February.
