It’s a great time to be a WNBA fan this year. But it’s an even better time to be a WNBA player, given the much-upgraded perks and benefits of the new collective bargaining agreement.
The WNBPA and the league negotiated a new CBA last month that gives players a significant bump in salaries, among other wins for the players. That means that in 2026, for the first time in league history, there will be million-dollar players hooping on the court.
The first of those to agree to a new contract was Aces’ Jackie Young, who re-signed with the defending champs during a hectic WNBA free agency. The rest quickly followed, with more than 20 players inking million-dollar deals with either their original teams or getting their bag with a new one.
Here’s that running list, updated as of Wednesday (all details are courtesy of Spotrac):
WNBA Player
Team
Contract
Average Annual Value
Kelsey Mitchell
Fever
One-year supermax
$1,400,000
Ezi Magbegor
Storm
Three years
$1,250,000
Bridget Carleton
Fire
Three years
$1,249,500
Alanna Smith
Wings
Three years
$1,249,500
Gabby Williams
Valkyries
Three years
$1,249,500
Allisha Gray
Dream
Three years
$1,233,333
Kahleah Copper
Mercury
Two years
$1,230,000
Arike Ogunbowale
Wings
Two years
$1,219,750
Courtney Williams
Lynx
Two years
$1,219,750
Kayla McBride
Lynx
Two years
$1,219,750
Marina Mabrey
Tempo
Two years
$1,200,000
Alyssa Thomas
Mercury
Three years
$1,200,000
Jackie Young
Aces
One year
$1,190,000
Brittney Griner
Sun
One year
$1,190,000
Brittney Sykes
Tempo
Two years
$1,190,000
Shakira Austin
Mystics
Three years
$1,190,000
Ariel Atkins
Sparks
Three years
$1,139,000
Dearica Hamby
Sparks
Three years
$1,133,333
Rhyne Howard
Dream
Three years
$1,125,000
Chelsea Gray
Aces
Three years
$1,050,000
Azurá Stevens
Wings
Three years
$1,050,000
Jessica Shephard
Wings
Two years
$1,025,000
Brionna Jones
Dream
Three years
$1,025,000
Kennedy Burke
Sun
One year
$1,000,000
Temi Fagbenle
Tempo
One year
$1,000,000
A shout out to Kelsey Plum, who took less than the max—a $999,999 deal—to return to the Sparks and help the organization build a better roster. (Why is it one dollar shy of a million? No one really knows, but Plum seems happy about it.) Valkyries’ Veronica Burton, Sparks’ Nneka Ogwumike and Sky’s Skylar Diggins also signed respective deals that came just short of a milly.
Fever’s Kelsey Mitchell is the only player to have inked a supermax deal at the time of this writing. Supermax contracts, which make up 20% of the W’s increased $7 million salary cap, were put in place to reward elite veterans as well as incentivize player loyalty. The 2026 supermax ($1.4 million) is up more than four times the amount in the previous CBA ($250,000) and has a few eligibility requirements: it can be offered to players with at least five years of service as long as they have been selected to the All-WNBA’s first or second teams, or if they have won an MVP or Defensive Player of the Year in the past three seasons.
Who else is up for a supermax in 2026?
Four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson is expected to land a supermax deal soon. | Grace Smith/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Last year, four players received supermax deals: Mitchell, Aces’ Jewell Loyd, Mercury’s Kahleah Copper and Wings’ Arike Ogunbowale. All four of those players have since remained with their teams.
This year, a growing number of the league’s biggest stars are expected to make bank. Four-time MVP A’ja Wilson is reportedly expected to received a supermax extension soon. Liberty’s Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu are also eligible for the supermax, though New York will have to figure out a way to get all their stars (including newly acquired Satou Sabally) under the salary cap, which means some vets may have to take a pay cut. Lynx’s Napheesa Collier, who’s currently recovering from ankle surgery, is expected to command a supermax contract as well.
When will Caitlin Clark be eligible for a max contract?
With the league’s old guard getting their well-deserved salary bumps, when could Caitlin Clark and the next generation of stars take home their own massive deals?
To use Clark as an example, she was taken by the Fever as the No. 1 pick in 2024 and earned just $76,355 and $78,066 in her first and second years in the W as part of her rookie deal. (How a few years can make all the difference: this year’s No. 1 pick Azzi Fudd will earn a $500,000 fully guaranteed contract on the Wings).
Thanks to the new CBA, Clark is set to make a little over half a million in 2026—roughly $530,00, according to ESPN. As for when she’s eligible to sign a max deal, the Fever superstar can ink one in her fourth year, since she earned an All-WNBA nod within her first three years, based on the terms of the EPIC (exceptional players on initial contracts) provision.
After 2026, Clark can net the projected max of $1.3 million in 2027, and the projected supermax of $1.7 million in 2028. If she wins WNBA MVP next season, she would immediately be eligible for a supermax extension.
More WNBA from Sports Illustrated
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