Not much going on.
There doesn’t seem to be very much going on in the WNBA owners and Women’s National Basketball Association’s players in the collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Both sides have agreed to a pause in off season activities such as free agency. The two sides have passed two deadlines for an agreement, November 30th, 2025 and January 9th, 2026. There is still plenty of time before the season starts but there is a business to run. Portland and Toronto are supposed to be stocked by an expansion draft and there is the WNBA entry draft on April 13th. If there is a lockout imposed by the owners, players would be barred from team facilities, practices, games, and communications with team staff.
The players don’t want a salary cap while the owners are trying to suppress salaries. Very typical in sports labor negotiations. There may be two factors in the players’ thinking. Two other basketball opportunities. A handful of WNBA players have committed to play in Project B, a women’s basketball startup league that will begin play in Europe, Asia and Latin America in November and last through April 2027. The league will not overlap with the WNBA season. The Project B women’s basketball league will include six teams with 11 players on each roster, and play a 5-on-5 format. Project B plans to host seven two-week tournaments in locations throughout Europe, Asia and Latin America. Project B will offer players an equity stake in the league and promises to pay more than the WNBA owners are willing to pay for players. There is another league available to WNBA players called Unrivaled. The three players on three players league has started its second year and consists of eight teams. The WNBA season starts in the spring so there is time to get an agreement finalized.
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