NEW YORK (AP) — WNBA Vice President Breanna Stewart said the WNBA and its players union will not agree to another extension of the collective bargaining agreement after a Friday night deadline.
That doesn’t mean players will strike or that the league will lock them out. Stewart told reporters at Unparalleled training Thursday that the players will continue to negotiate in good faith.
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With the deadline just before midnight Friday night, the league would not confirm that the two sides would not reach an extension agreement. A WNBA spokesperson did say that the league will “continue to negotiate in good faith with the goal of reaching an agreement as quickly as possible.”
A league spokesman said: “Our focus remains on reaching an agreement that significantly increases player compensation while ensuring long-term growth for the business.”
The league and players have had two previous contract extensions and had several face-to-face meetings this week. Any stalled negotiations could delay the start of the 2026 season. The last collective bargaining agreement was announced in mid-January 2020, one month after the agreement was reached.
It will likely take two months from the time a new collective bargaining agreement is reached to the start of free agency, which is scheduled to begin later this month.
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While a strike or lockout is not imminent, both sides could change their views.
Stewart said calling a strike “isn’t something we’re going to do right now, but we have it in our pocket.” The league has not yet considered a shutdown, according to a person familiar with the matter. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.
As of Thursday, the two sides remained far apart on a number of key issues, including salary and revenue sharing, and a deal appeared unlikely before Friday’s deadline.
Revenue sharing a sticking point in negotiations
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The league’s latest offer last month would have guaranteed a maximum base salary of $1 million in 2026, which could reach $1.3 million through revenue sharing. That amount is up from the current $249,000 and could rise to nearly $2 million over the life of the agreement, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.
Under the league’s proposal, players would receive more than 70% of net revenue – although that would be the profit they make after paying fees. These costs include staff, travel, security, venue and charter flights.
The average salary will increase from the current $120,000 to more than $530,000 in 2026 and to more than $770,000 over the life of the agreement. The person told The Associated Press that the minimum wage would increase to more than $250,000 in the first year from the current $67,000.
The proposal would also provide financial compensation to young star players such as Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers, all of whom are still on their rookie contracts, at nearly double the league minimum salary.
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Revenue sharing is one of the main sticking points in the negotiations.
The union’s counterproposal to the league would give players about 30% of their total earnings. Players’ percentages will come from funds generated before first-year expenses, with teams signing players with a salary cap of $10.5 million. Under the union’s proposal, the revenue-sharing ratio would rise slightly each year.
League wants to include expansion fee; league says no
The league believes that the $750 million in expansion fees the league just received from Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia through 2030 should be considered revenue and factored into the forecast. The league said the money will actually go to all existing pre-expansion teams to make up for future money lost as total revenue is divided by more teams.
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Other major sports leagues such as the NBA, NHL and NFL do not include expansion fees in their revenue sharing structures. MLB’s salary structure is unrelated to its revenue, so expansion expenses don’t matter.
League wants players to pay for their own housing
The league proposed letting players pay for housing rather than having teams continue to bear the cost. With the new minimum wage likely to exceed $250,000, the WNBA said players, like most other professional leagues, should pay for their own housing.
The union’s position is that teams should continue to pay players’ housing costs.
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Why deadlock in talks could delay season
Extending the time it takes for a deal to be completed could cause many problems, especially with the season starting on time or even not being able to play for a number of reasons. Several factors indicate that time is approaching:
— free agent
With nearly all veterans hitting free agency this offseason, this will be the biggest year in league history in terms of potential transfers. Free agency was scheduled to begin later this month. However, once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, it could take up to two months for the two sides to begin free agency.
— Income-generating activities may be delayed
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The league cannot release game ticket sales schedules to its teams until a new CBA is decided. Arenas will be making noise, filling calendar dates with events. With so many players potentially changing teams in free agency, new merchandise will not be available for sale.
— Expansion Draft
With Portland and Toronto entering the league this year, two new teams must hold the expansion draft. When the Golden State Warriors entered the WNBA last year, the draft was held in December. Current teams need to figure out who they’re going to protect from the draft, and that’s made even more complicated by all the free agency.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball