It’s been almost a year since the WNBPA walked away from the current CBA, yet the league and players’ union remain at an impasse. Now, the fate of the expansion draft, pending trades, and the futures of over 100 players set to hit unrestricted free agency this winter all hang in the balance. And the question remains: who’s responsible?

Well, that depends on whom you ask. The league has accused the WNBPA of “disseminating public disinformation by spending more time there than actually engaging at the negotiation table.” Meanwhile, the players’ union has fired back, claiming the league is simply trying to “run out the clock.” This back-and-forth has left fans and observers unsure of who’s telling the truth. However, analyst Sophie Jones pointed at a fact hiding in plain sight that offered some clarity.

Speaking on a recent episode of ‘Locked On Women’s Basketball’, Jones explained, “Every single one of the WNBA players, when they’ve voiced what they’re looking for in these CBA negotiations, they’ve said it in very public spaces… they’re just laying out A, B, and C, what they’re looking for. But it doesn’t appear that there’s been the same level of transparency by the league in the WNBA.”

When the WNBPA first opted out of the existing CBA last year, it was labeled a “defining moment.” The players saw the league’s growth as an opportunity to push for true economic equity. And since then, there has been no shady business at all or moving around on a pendulum. 

“[The players are] really quite clear and laser-focused on what they’re fighting for… and what they said a year ago was true six months ago, was true six weeks ago, six days ago,” WNBPA executive director Terri Jackson told ESPN earlier this week.

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And yes, the players’ demands haven’t changed. What has changed, though, is how vocal they’ve become. And a perfect example for this is WNBPA vice president, Napheesa Collier. Despite delivering a fiery 3–4 minute exit interview where she criticized Commissioner Cathy Engelbert, calling her “the worst leadership in the world,” Collier hasn’t backed away from public appearances or advocacy.

As part of Glamour magazine’s Women of the Year series, she even reaffirmed her commitment to the cause. “If we give in, we’re not only doing a disservice to us, we’re doing a disservice to where we have gotten in women’s sports,” she told Glamour’s Emily Tannenbaum. “We really have no choice but to stand strong again, not just for the present, but for the future of our league too.”

Her words add even more weight to the WNBPA’s message – that players are prepared to endure a work stoppage if necessary. Meanwhile, the league has remained notably quiet, with no visible leadership voice stepping forward to publicly address the situation.

“I feel like a lot of the language that WNBA spokespeople are using in this whole negotiation process is they’re trying to flip it on the players,” Jones added. “That quote about spending less time disseminating misinformation and more time engaging constructively – it’s basically the league saying, ‘We’re trying to make something happen, but the players are the ones holding it up.’ I think that’s how it’s coming across.”

And she might be right. The last time Commissioner Cathy Engelbert publicly addressed the CBA negotiations was on October 3rd, when she emphasized that the league wanted a “transformative deal,” including a revenue-sharing model and a potential maximum salary of $850,000. However, since then, there’s been radio silence from her office.

The league’s most recent comment came not from Engelbert but from an anonymous spokesperson in a statement to The Athletic: “We have been negotiating with the Players Association in good faith and with urgency for several months to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement as quickly as possible,” the spokesperson said.

The league also criticized the WNBPA for allegedly slowing down the process, noting that it submitted a proposal on October 1st and didn’t receive a response until October 27th – almost a month later. To the league, that’s evidence the players are dragging their feet. But according to the union, this is just another tactic by the league. 

Why aren’t players accepting extensions?

It’s just one day remaining before the league could head into a lockout – a situation that benefits no one, neither the players nor the WNBA itself. That’s because a delayed CBA agreement would throw several key events off schedule – from the WNBA Draft Lottery, which determines the top five picks for the 2026 draft, to the expansion draft set to introduce two new teams in 2026.

Most importantly, it would create uncertainty for over 100 WNBA players who are set to become unrestricted free agents this winter. While a CBA extension might help the league maintain its broader operations, it wouldn’t necessarily favor the players. Well, that’s because teams begin sending out qualifying offers to reserves, restricted free agents, and core players by mid-January.

However, if an extension were to happen now, it wouldn’t apply to the current cycle, as the players wouldn’t sign new deals under the existing pay scale. And that’s exactly why WNBPA’s hesitant to agree to an extension. So, what do you think? Will the league and players find common ground in time, or are we about to witness one of the most pivotal standstills?