WNBA CBA negotiations: Three paths forward with WNBPA, league reportedly unlikely to agree to deal by deadline

The WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players Association are unlikely to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement by the Oct. 31 deadline, according to a report from Front Office Sports. 

In a statement to FOS, WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson accused the league of having a "lack of urgency," which she said has left players "wondering if it is focused on making this work or just running out the clock."

A WNBA spokesperson issued a statement to CBS Sports following Carmichael Jackson's comment:

"We have been clear with the WNBPA but so there is no doubt -- our number one priority is to get a new collective bargaining agreement completed that addresses the players' priorities while also supporting the long-term growth and success of the league and teams. We have been meeting with the union throughout the summer and will continue to meet until this gets done, with additional sessions already scheduled through the rest of the season."

As the 2025 regular season draws to a close, little progress has been made since the two sides held contentious meetings in Indianapolis during All-Star Weekend in July. New York Liberty star and WNBPA vice president Breanna Stewart called the sit downs in Indy a "wasted opportunity," and the players made a bold statement during the All-Star Game by wearing warm-up shirts that read "Pay us what you owe us." 

The players, who have repeatedly stated their intent to seek "transformational change" since opting out of the current CBA last October, want more money. While the league has been willing to offer higher salaries -- an ESPN report stated that the most recent proposal from the league would have increased base maximums from $249,244 to over $1 million -- the players are steadfast on receiving a higher share of revenue. 

"We want to return as much as we can to the players, and we will," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Sportico Sports Business earlier this month. "I have full confidence that we're going to work out a great deal for them. But we have to balance that with a sustainable economic model so that their legacy is not that the future of the league is at risk here."

The WNBA's new $2.2 billion media rights deal will kick in next season and expansion fees are skyrocketing. Joe Lacob paid $50 million for the Golden State Valkyries in 2023. The three newest expansion teams, Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia, paid $250 million earlier this year. 

"We're seeing expansion, and the players are just saying, 'Hey, let us have our fair share of that,'" Seattle Storm star and WNBPA president Nneka Ogwumike told ESPN. "Sometimes that means proposing something new that makes sense for the time. Not really new -- new to us, not to other leagues."

The WNBA has never lost games due to a work stoppage in its history, and neither side wants it to happen during its 30th anniversary season in 2026. But the longer the two sides go without a deal, the more of a possibility it becomes. Ahead of the Oct. 31 CBA expiration, here is a look at the paths forward. 

1. Agree to a deal by the deadline

Though it currently appears unlikely that there will be a deal by Oct. 31, things can change in two months, especially as draws closer. Agreeing to a new CBA by Oct. 31 would be the most straightforward path. With a new CBA in place, the league could set the dates for the expansion draft and free agency and move forward with a normal offseason. 

2. Extend the deadline

If there is no new CBA in place by Oct. 31, the WNBA and the WNBPA can agree to a temporary extension of the current CBA, which would prevent a work stoppage and allow the two sides to continue discussions. In fact, that's exactly what happened in 2019 when the current CBA was being negotiated. 

On Oct. 28, 2019, three days before the deadline, the two sides announced a 60-day extension until Dec. 31. They eventually agreed on a new CBA on Jan. 14, 2020, just before the start of free agency. Of course, the league was not introducing multiple expansion teams that offseason.

The Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo are both set to join the league this winter as the 14th and 15th teams. Last year, when the Golden State Valkyries became the first expansion franchise since 2008, their expansion draft took place on Dec. 7. Until a new CBA is in place, the league cannot set a date for the Fire and Tempo's expansion draft or even announce the rules -- particularly important this time around with a multi-team draft -- because the latter is collectively bargained. 

The league would need to complete the expansion draft before free agency can begin, and in a perfect world there would be a gap between those events. Last offseason, there was about six weeks between the Valkyries' expansion draft on Dec. 7 and the start of free agency on Jan. 21. A date cannot be set for free agency until a new CBA is ratified, because that is also collectively bargained. 

While extending the deadline would certainly be better than nothing, the WNBA and WNBPA do not have unlimited time this winter.

3. A lockout

In the event that the two sides cannot reach an agreement by Oct. 31 or, if there is an extension, by the end of whatever extension they announce, the next step would be a lockout. All league business would cease and players would be prevented from accessing team facilities. 

That would mean no draft lottery, no expansion draft, no free agency, no trades, no 2026 WNBA Draft, nothing until a new CBA is in place. Depending on how long the lockout lasted, it's possible that the 2026 season could be delayed or, in a worst-case scenario, cancelled. 

"The headline is 'lockout!' and ultimately the goal for everyone is to get a good deal done," Ogwumike said. "Hopefully it gets done in the time that makes sense. I don't think anyone wants to see a lockout. That's not something that we're advocating for. We just want to make sure that this is a deal that's done the right way and using whatever time it takes for us to be able to have both sides agree on something."

Again, the league has never lost games due to a work stoppage, but it has come close. In 2003, there was still no deal in place by early April and then-NBA commissioner David Stern issued an ultimatum to come to terms on a new CBA by April 18 or the season would be cancelled. The two sides did just that. As a result, the 2003 WNBA Draft was delayed, as were preseason games. 

Neither the league nor the players want a lockout or to put any portion of the 2026 season at risk, but neither side has been willing to blink, and it doesn't seem like the staring match is going to end any time soon.