The WNBA Players Association has submitted a counterproposal to the league on Tuesday amid prolonged collective bargaining agreement negotiations and the league already voiced its dissatisfaction.
According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, the WNBPA’s latest proposal included some concessions on revenue sharing and housing—two key elements of the ongoing labor dispute. Philippou reported the WNBPA is now asking for an average of 27.5% of gross revenue, citing sources. That’s down from a reported proposal of 30% of gross revenue.
Another key issue is housing as WNBA players have traditionally been provided with either team-owned apartments or a monthly stipend to use in season. In the WNBPA’s latest proposal, ESPN reports the players have asked teams to continue to provide housing to players in the first several years of a new agreement. But in later years, teams would no longer be obligated to provide housing for players making close to the maximum salary.
With increasing player salaries, the league has reportedly sought to change the housing provisions in a new CBA.
On Feb. 7, the WNBA submitted a new CBA proposal that included players receiving 70% of net revenue (which comes after expenses are deducted) and a $5.65 million salary cap, according to ESPN. The players are asking for 25% of gross revenue in the first year of a new deal with a salary cap of less than $9.5 million. Last season, a supermax salary was just under $250,000 and a maximum salary could reach over $1 million with the latest proposal from the WNBA.
The league quickly released a response to the players’ latest offering and it appears the WNBA didn’t take kindly to the latest proposal from the players.
“The Players Association’s latest proposal remains unrealistic and would cause hundreds of millions of dollars of losses to our teams,” a WNBA spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN and Philippou. “We still need to complete two drafts and free agency before the start of training camp and are running out of time. We believe the WNBA’s proposal would result in a huge win for current players and generations to come.”
How close are the WNBA and WNBPA’s CBA negotiations cutting it to the start of the 2026 season?
The WNBA’s draft lottery already took place, with the Wings winning the top pick in the 2026 draft which is slated for April 13. That puts us less than two months from the league’s draft, with the season scheduled to begin weeks later on May 8.
Two expansion teams, the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, are set to join the WNBA this year and an expansion draft has yet to be officially scheduled amid CBA discussions. The WNBA has traditionally opened its free agency periods in January, but signings have been halted this year due to the labor dispute. Almost every veteran player is set to hit free agency with most contracts expiring after last season as players aimed to sign more valuable contracts under the new CBA.
Nearly all of the offseason, aside from the draft lottery, must take place once a new CBA is agreed to and ratified. In December, WNBA players voted to authorize to call a strike “when necessary” after negotiations stalled past initial expiration dates and multiple deadline extensions. We’re not there yet, but the clock is ticking much faster with the WNBA’s displeasure toward the players’ latest proposal.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as WNBPA Counters League’s Latest CBA Proposal With Key Compromises Amid Labor Dispute.
