WNBA Sets CBA Deadline to Avoid Impacts on 2026 Season
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Seattle Storm center Dominique Malonga (14) blocks a shot from Las Vegas Aces guard Dana Evans (11) in the first quarter during game three of round one for the 2025 WNBA Playoffs at Michelob Ultra Arena. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images [/caption]
The clock is ticking on a new collective bargaining agreement between the WNBA and WNBPA after the league notified its teams that a new deal must be struck by March 10 to not impact the 2026 season, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
That deadline was delivered in a Monday morning meeting between league staff, the league’s labor relations committee, team owners and 50 players, per Philippou — the second meeting this month between all parties involved.
Schedules have already been set for the 2026 season, which is supposed to begin on May 8. That’s supposed to be the Seattle Storm’s home opener against the Golden State Valkyries.
A lot has to happen between now and then, and that window will be even smaller if it takes up to the March 10 deadline. The league still has to get through two expansion drafts, a historically busy free agency period, the college draft (April 13) and training camp (April 19).
In the Storm’s case, they have to figure out how their roster is going to look outside of the four players currently under contract. Jordan Horston and Nika Muhl are coming off significant injuries, and they will have to re-integrate into the franchise’s plans.
The 2025 Storm team was propped up by veterans, all of whom are now free agents. With a new deadline, it creates both excitement in potentially seeing what the team will become, while also giving the franchise less time to negotiate unprecedentedly large contracts.
ESPN also learned Monday that the league reached its revenue-sharing threshold for 2025 and that $9.25 million in licensing revenue will be distributed to the players. Those are two major boosts for the players, but they are still far away from agreeing to terms on the CBA.
An agreement on revenue sharing remains the biggest area where the two sides are far apart, per Philippou.
A new deadline is a step in the right direction, but it’s no guarantee that a strike won’t happen. If anything, it’s making that potential reality get closer, as both the league and WNBPA seem steadfast in their beliefs about how a new agreement should look.
The biggest positive for the Storm remains that they have 2025 No. 2 overall pick Dominique Malonga under contract whenever they do return to the court.
That’s at least one star player the team doesn’t have to worry about trying to retain, and she will likely be the first one they protect from the expansion drafts. It’s going to be a strange few months as the race to opening day commences.
