After a lockout that dragged on for most of the winter, the WNBA and WNBPA came to an agreement on a new CBA that resulted in no games being lost. It also created a breakneck month of April where they'll try to cram basically an entire offseason into a few weeks. They just had the expansion draft and free agency is about to begin, with the regular draft set for next week before the opening of training camps on April 19 and the first preseason games a week later. It'll be a busy few weeks to be sure. And it was all made possible by perhaps the most transformative CBA ever signed.
You have to give the WNBA players credit, too. They knew their value and were determined to cash in on it. Women's basketball has never been hotter than it is right now. And the players are savvy businesswomen who knew they were the ones negotiating from a position of strength. The longer the lockout went on, the more leverage they had. But had it dragged on to the point where games were missed, that would've damaged everything they've built over the past few years. So, it was imperative to get a deal done before that happened. Which they did.
Everything in the new seven-year agreement benefits the players. Salaries will grow exponentially across the board. There will be revenue sharing between the owners and players for the first time in league history. And there will be ancillary benefits that may not seem like much on the surface, but were incredibly important to the players. So important, in fact, that they made sure they were worked into the CBA so that all players can enjoy the same benefit.
Let's start with the biggest and most obvious benefit. Player salaries will go up dramatically. The minimum salary will be around $270,000 and super max contracts will top out at $1.4 million, with the average salary setting at about $600,000. Players still on their rookie contracts (such as Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers) will receive a significant raise, too, from $80,000 to $500,000.
WNBA players will be paid enough to make a living without needing to play overseas during the WNBA's offseason. When Unrivaled was founded, that was part of its purpose--a chance to make money during the offseason without having to go overseas. I'd imagine some players may choose to continue playing in Unrivaled, and some may continue to play overseas in the offseason, as well. But, the point is, they no longer need to. They're professional athletes whose chosen career is playing a sport, and they'll finally be compensated as such.
With those higher salaries, the salary cap will also be significantly higher. Last season, the salary cap was $1.3 million per team. That's now the amount of the maximum contract! This season's salary cap is expected to be around $7 million. That, obviously, will only go up throughout the duration of the deal.
That's why nearly every WNBA veteran is a free agent right now. They all knew that a windfall was likely coming their way once the new CBA was signed, so they set themselves up to cash in once it was agreed to, so they all had their contracts end after last season. Many stars (A'ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart) have indicated they intend to re-sign with their previous team. But when they do, a massive raise will be headed their way.
Perhaps even more significantly than the new salary structure is the introduction of revenue sharing. This was one of the biggest hold-ups during negotiations as the sides went back-and-forth about what percentage the players should receive and how exactly the math would be done. Ultimately, they settled at 20 percent. If the WNBA meets their revenue projections, the players get their cut. Early indications are that about $8 million will be spread across 13 teams based on last year's numbers.
This incredible period of growth in the WNBA extends to new franchises. After the WNBA held firm at 12 teams for more than a decade, the Golden State Valkyries joined the league last season, with two more (the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo) being added this season. Future expansion teams are lined up for Philadelphia, Cleveland and Detroit, as well. Once those three teams join, the WNBA will have increased by 1/3 from 12 to 18 teams. Which means the owners will get a 1/18th share instead of a 1/13th share. But they're OK with that because of how much revenue is expected to increase. (Those expansion fees will soften the blow, too.)
Those expansion teams obviously mean more WNBA jobs for players. Making a WNBA roster is hard. Staying on one is even harder. Especially when teams would occasionally carry 11 players instead of 12. Now teams will be required to carry 12 players, and they can also have a "developmental" spot for a younger player that doesn't count against the roster limit. If the developmental player appears in a game, she'll receive a pro-rated minimum salary.
Along with the expansion teams will be an extended season. Last season, the WNBA played a 44-game schedule for the first time (as well as extending the WNBA Finals to best-of-seven). By 2029, they could be playing a 52-game season that extends into November. Whether they will is a different question. But the option exists. (And, a benefit of a longer season on both ends is that it'll keep players with their teams year-round since their overseas options will be limited.)
A few years ago, the WNBA moved to allow charter flights for all road trips. That has now been codified into the CBA. Along with the improved travel, they also codified minimum requirements regarding teams' medical staffs. Teams will also have to meet minimum standards at their practice facilities by 2028.
Family planning has also been a big point of emphasis for WNBA players in recent years. Stipulations were put in to protect players' jobs if they have to miss time due to pregnancy while also giving teams greater salary cap flexibility in covering the pregnant player's salary (which, I'd assume, is similar to the long-term IR provision in the NHL's CBA). Likewise, those players who have dependent children can bring them on the road at the team's expense, and teams are also required to provide an extra hotel room for them. Players were also granted increased parental leave, as well as expanded retirement benefits.
Player housing was one of the big sticking points during negotiations. The WNBA has always provided it, but wanted to phase it out. Instead, they came to a compromise where players are given team-provided housing during their first few years in the league before those provisions are gradually reduced once they become established veterans making more money. So, not exactly what the players wanted, but a reasonable concession. Especially since seeing the rookies and those making the minimum salary have their housing continue to be covered was the priority, and that was achieved.
There are so many other provisions in the WNBA's new CBA that I didn't mention here. But the bottom line is that "transformative" is an understatement. Both sides saw the growth over the past few years and the potential for more. And they'll both benefit from that growth. Not just in the near-term. Well into the future.
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