With a new collective bargaining agreement in effect, the WNBA offseason can officially be considered underway — and technically, it could produce the largest wave of player movement in the league’s 30-year history.
More than 100 players are scheduled to become free agents this month. That includes marquee players like Brittney Griner, Kelsey Mitchell, two-time MVP Breanna Stewart, four-time MVP A’ja Wilson and many more.
While Stewart has already confirmed her intention to sign a new deal with the Liberty, and the Aces are likely to re-sign Wilson to the WNBA’s new supermax, there could be surprises elsewhere when teams can begin negotiations with players on April 9.
How have so many WNBA players hit free agency at once?
A total of 123 players, out of the approximately 156 contracted to the 13 WNBA teams in 2025, will be available to sign as free agents beginning in the second week of April.
That includes practically every player who is not on a rookie-scale contract. The only two exceptions are Lexie Brown and Kalani Brown, who are under contract for 2026 already.
The aforementioned figure includes 77 unrestricted free agents, with many of the league’s stars eligible to change teams if they so choose.
This is happening by design. In advance of the negotiations for a new CBA, many of the WNBA’s top players intentionally took short-term deals in preparation for a new economic reality in which they could make million-dollar salaries for the first time.
The players’ gamble paid off. Salaries across the board are going up, just in time for players to officially sign new contracts beginning April 12.
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