Some 24 hours ahead of the expiration of the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement, the league and the WNBPA hit pause and agreed to a 30-day extension after both sides failed to meet in the middle. Now, with just 12 days left before that extension wraps, things are finally starting to move. The WNBA is actually putting serious money on the table. 

The newest proposal includes something that honestly would’ve sounded wild just a couple of years ago: a record-breaking maximum salary topping $1.1 million, and more than one player per team could reach that number. This is all part of a revamped revenue-sharing model, one that will grow every year and aims to completely shift how players are compensated. 

Here’s what sources say the updated CBA proposal actually looks like:

• League minimum salary will exceed $220,000.
• Average salary rises above $460,000.
• More than 180 players will see their salaries increase, and these increases will grow annually.
• Those salaries would rise at a higher rate than in previous CBA cycles, giving players long-term financial security.

“People familiar with the WNBA’s latest proposal described the plan to the AP as a highly lucrative package providing substantial increases over prior years and designed to bring negotiations to a quick conclusion,” wrote The AP News.

But will it actually play out that way? Hard to say, even if we’ve seen this kind of thing happen before. The league and the players actually took the extension route before, back in 2019. That time, they agreed to a 60-day extension when they were just three days away from the previous CBA’s Oct. 31 expiration. A new deal was eventually reached on Jan. 14, 2020, and signed into effect three days later.

Well, this comes after the league’s opening offer didn’t land nicely at all. Front Office Sports reported that the proposal tried to lock player salaries into limits, and players rejected it immediately. Satou Sabally summed up the mood by calling the offer a “slap in the face.” Clark pointed out how strange the league’s priorities seem. On an Instagram Live, she noted that Commissioner’s Cup winners can walk away with $30,000, while actual WNBA champions get $20,000, a mismatch that didn’t go unnoticed.

Napheesa Collier also spoke openly about where the union stands. “We want to do everything we can to get the CBA done. The goal is that we want to play,” she said. “But I think, just knowing that we have to stand really firm. We have no choice but to stand firm in our beliefs and stand up for ourselves and what is fair for us.”

After that, the whole thing turned into a back-and-forth where both sides basically admitted they weren’t aligned. Adam Silver said the league’s offer “includes both significant guaranteed salary cap increases and substantial uncapped revenue sharing that enables player salaries to grow as the league’s business grows.”

WNBPA Executive Director Terri Jackson didn’t hold back, saying the W has “put lipstick on a pig” and adding, “The fact that the league now wants to call any part of its proposal ‘uncapped’ is precisely why its leadership, transparency, and accountability are being challenged right now.”

She doubled down further: “What the league and teams are really trying to do is not only limit the cost of labor but also contain it through an artificial salary system that isn’t tied to the business the players are building in any real or meaningful way… a fixed salary system and a separate revenue-sharing plan that only includes a piece of a piece of the pie, and pays themselves [the league] back first… They’ve responded with bad math and are hoping everyone doesn’t understand what ‘uncapped’ actually means.”

The league then put out another statement insisting the opposite, saying the proposal includes “a revenue sharing component that would result in the players’ compensation increasing as league revenue increases — without any cap on the upside.”

We’ll have to see how the players feel about this new offer and whether things actually move forward.  Because with some of the league’s biggest stars now exploring rival leagues, things aren’t exactly looking great.

Project B keeps pulling in big names

When Nneka Ogwumike joined Project B, it sent shockwaves through the league. The new venture is offering massive salaries and a five-on-five season across Europe and Asia from November to April. And while a lot about Project B is still kind of a mystery, especially where all that money is coming from, the paychecks are big enough that it’s hard for players to look away. 

For veterans who never got the NIL boost in college and spent years grinding through low WNBA salaries, this kind of offer hits differently.

After Nneka made the jump, Alyssa Thomas followed shortly after, which basically signals that this could be her final season in Unrivaled. And now, Jonquel Jones just joined the list, too. The New York Liberty star announced on Monday that she’s officially signed with Project B. Landing the 2021 WNBA MVP and the 2024 Finals MVP is huge for Project B and says a lot about the league’s pull right now.

Then came another big one: two-time Olympic gold medalist Jewell Loyd revealed on Tuesday that she’s also committing to Project B. She made the announcement on social media. And this isn’t all. Reports say Project B plans to feature a total of 66 players, and even Brittney Griner is expected to be among the potential signings.

So… let’s see who’s next.