Adam Silver says WNBA players will get 'big increase' in compensation as CBA negotiations continue

WNBA players have lobbied for an increase in pay as they continue negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement. Unless a new deal is reached by the time the CBA expires on Oct. 31, then a lockout could be on the horizon.

While negotiations are slow moving, NBA commissioner Adam Silver thinks the players will get a "big increase" in pay with this next contract. The players specifically ask for a greater cut of the league's revenue share, something higher than the 9% they currently receive. For comparison, NBA players receive nearly 50% of league revenue, and while Silver said he does think WNBA players should get a higher cut of the revenue share, he doesn't think it's how this issue should be looked at.

"I think share isn't the right way to look at it, because there's so much more revenue in the NBA," Silver said on the Today show. "I think you should look at it in absolute numbers in terms of what they're making, and they are going to get a big increase in this cycle of collective bargaining, and they deserve it."

Increasing salaries across the league isn't the only thing for which the players are fighting, though. Guaranteeing that every team continues to have charter flights for the season is a priority, so is a potential increase in roster sizes. Each year, when a new slate of rookies enters the league their chances of remaining on the team that selected them is incredibly slim because the league only allows a maximum roster size of 12 players. It's difficult for first-year players to make the cut unless they are the star of the team, leading to many of them getting waived or cut before they even suit up in a single game. 

The small roster sizes became a big talking point this season when the Indiana Fever suffered five season-ending injuries, forcing them to scramble to have enough players available on a game-to-game basis. Another issue that became a major talking point this season is the officiating, as several coaches and players criticized the quality of referees in the league for their inconsistency, which sometimes led to very physical play.

The players have been incredibly vocal about all of these issues throughout the season. Ahead of the All-Star Game, they wore shirts that read "Pay Us What You Owe Us" across the front during warm-ups. Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier called out WNBA commission Cathy Engelbert at the end of the season, saying in part, "We have the best fans in the world. But right now we have the worst leadership in the world." There's been reports suggesting that Engelbert's time as the commissioner could be coming to an end, though the WNBA released a statement saying that is "categorically false."

Silver said previously that in addition to figuring out a new CBA, there's "relationship issues" that need to be addressed between Engelbert and the players. The NBA owns 42% of the WNBA, so Silver has a direct part in these negotiations as well.