The WNBA submitted a new collective bargaining agreement proposal to the Women’s National Basketball Players Association on Saturday, sources confirmed to Ballislife, as both sides continue exchanging offers with a league-imposed soft deadline three days away. The news was first reported by ESPN.
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
The league’s latest submission came one day after the WNBPA sent its own proposal, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.
The WNBA has told players that CBA terms need to be finalized by around March 10 to avoid altering the 2026 league calendar. Training camps are scheduled to open on April 19, preseason play begins on April 25, and opening night is May 8. Without an agreement, all of the dates are at risk.
Players opted out of the 2020 CBA in October 2024, moving its expiration up to Oct. 31, 2025. The 2025 season was conducted under the old agreement, and current negotiations are for a new deal governing league operations beginning in 2026.
The two sides remain far apart on core economic issues, most notably the structure of a revenue-sharing model. Breanna Stewart has identified that disagreement as the central sticking point in talks.
“The one thing is what we really can’t agree on, and that’s the revenue-sharing model,” Stewart said. “Players are asking for a share of gross league revenue, while the WNBA wants to base sharing on a defined shared basketball income pot.”
Issues such as player housing and the salary cap have also been at the forefront of discussions.
Will A WNBA CBA Agreement Be Reached By Mar. 10?
Despite that gap, Stewart and Kelsey Plum have each pushed back on the idea of a work stoppage. Plum called the latest league offer a “significant win” while insisting talks must continue, and noted that a strike would hurt both parties given the revenue-sharing structure now on the table.
“A strike would be the worst thing for both sides, because we are in a revenue [sharing system], so no revenue, no revenue to share,” Plum said.
The WNBPA’s seven-member executive committee issued a statement on March 3, calling the league’s standing proposal “not worth taking” and saying players remain “united and focused on delivering a transformational CBA.” The committee also confirmed that a December strike authorization vote remains in effect.
Alysha Clark, the union’s vice president, recently said players “feel like the proposals the league has sent haven’t been good ones” and expressed hope the league would change course.
Meanwhile, Paige Bueckers, among the top prospects in the upcoming WNBA Draft, said CBA talks are “not really a negotiation anymore,” reflecting frustration on the players’ side as the deadline approaches.
Missing regular-season games would likely result in permanent date losses rather than rescheduling due to arena availability conflicts.
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