WNBA, WNBPA release additional financial details of new CBA
The WNBA and the WNBPA have officially laid out a term sheet for the new collective bargaining agreement, detailing more about the substantial financial gains for players. The seven-year CBA, which will take effect for the 2026 season and extend through 2032, still must be drafted and ratified by both parties. As The Athletic reported earlier , the salary cap will be $7 million in the first year of the deal and adjust annually based on changes in league and team revenue.
In 2026, per a release from the league, the minimum salary will be $270,000, the average salary will be $583,000 and the maximum will be $1. 4 million. Those figures are projected to grow to $340,000, over $1 million and $2.
4 million, respectively, by the final year of the agreement. Rookie salaries will grow substantially in the new CBA. The No.
1 pick in the upcoming WNBA Draft is scheduled to make $500,000, compared to only $78,831 for top pick Paige Bueckers in 2025. Players who are currently on rookie contracts as the CBA comes into effect, like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, will have their salaries right-sized, unlike the 2020 CBA. The new deal also allows for players on rookie contracts who have earned MVP or All-WNBA first- or second-team honors to receive the maximum salary in the fourth year of their initial deal.
Another significant change comes to protecting veterans from the coring rule, which previously allowed teams to retain one free agent’s rights (even unrestricted free agents) for two seasons. Starting in 2027, players with at least seven years of service cannot be cored. Teams are now required to roster 12 players, compared to the option to have 11 instead of 12 in the previous CBA — a rule that allowed franchises to spend more on top players.