Why the WNBPA is not swayed by the WNBA’s latest, “misleading” CBA proposal

If the WNBA’s updated proposal appeared to encourage optimism about a coming conclusion to CBA negotiations, the WNBPA is indicating otherwise.

According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, the WNBPA “does not view the WNBA’s latest collective bargaining agreement proposal as something that moves negotiations forward.”

The league’s latest proposal seemed to move towards meeting players’ demands by offering revenue sharing, a maximum player salary of more than $1.1 million, an average player salary of at least $460,000 and a minimum salary of more than $220,000. However, there were scant details about the degree of revenue sharing, in addition to whether or not there were stipulations surrounding eligibility for max salaries.

Philippou reports that “the players’ union does not believe the league’s proposal includes a system where the salary cap and player salaries sufficiently grow with the business.” A revenue sharing systems that does not include conditions or triggers, as in the case under the current CBA, is the top priority for the players. According to Annie Costabile of Front Office Sports, “The players’ share of revenue under the league’s latest offer would not be significantly different than it is now.”

Costabile additionally reports that the league’s proposed $1.1 million max salary is “misleading.” Sources familiar with the negotiations have indicated to Costabile that:

While salaries can reach a maximum of more than $1.1 million in the league’s offer, the base supermax contract would still pay between $800,000 and $850,000 annually—as was the case in early October. The $1.1 million figure represents combined earnings from a base salary and additional potential revenue sharing, the league sources said. Under the league’s offer, no player would sign a contract in 2026 with a base salary of $1.1 million.

Based on this latest reporting, the information seemingly leaked by the league side earlier in the week about their updated CBA proposal was incomplete. From the players’ perspective, the possibility of more revenue sharing and higher maximum salaries is not enough; they want those things to be guaranteed.

Writing at The IX Sports, Howard Megdal has expressed confidence that a new agreement would be “coming around Thanksgiving,” asserting that “the only thing that could stop this momentum now…is if [executive director] Terri Jackson and the WNBPA decide not to take the massive increase in salaries.”

However, the latest reports from Philippou and Costabile suggest that the players aren’t yet swayed by the league’s big, shiny top-line numbers.

As the Nov. 30 extension deadline arrives in less than 10 days, it will be interesting to see if the players’ public posturing inspires another updated offer from the league, if the players begin to relent on their demands or if no real progress is made, resulting in another extension or a murky state of affairs where the players could choose to strike or the league could elect to lock out the players.