Not even three weeks have passed since WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert handed the 2025 championship trophy to the Las Vegas Aces and cemented the franchise as the league\u2019s reigning dynasty. But as the trophy moved through the hands of Aces players, the WNBA offseason was already beginning.<\/p>\n
Now, all eyes are forward-looking, as the WNBA\u2019s Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Oct. 31 and the players union and league remain far apart on a new deal. How the talks shake out will shape other key offseason benchmarks, including the expansion draft for the Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire, as well as a free-agency bonanza featuring more than two-thirds of the league\u2019s players.<\/p>\n
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In our WNBA mailbag, we\u2019ll dive into some of the big-picture questions regarding the CBA negotiation, free agency, the expansion draft and officiating.<\/p>\n
(Questions are lightly edited for length and clarity.)<\/p>\n
Assuming no deal is reached by October 31st, and let\u2019s say, worst-case scenario, no deal is reached until the spring of 2026, how much time would there need to be between the expansion draft\/regular draft\/free agency period and the start of the regular season? \u2014 Jackie B.<\/p>\n
This is a question that stakeholders around the league will continue asking themselves as negotiations potentially extend into 2026. In 2020, a new CBA was agreed to in mid-January. The 2014 CBA was agreed to in mid-February.<\/p>\n
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In the latter situation, the college draft was still held in April and the season still began in May, but there is a lot more the league and its soon-to-be 15 teams need to accomplish this offseason.<\/p>\n
For that reason \u2014 and after taking the pulse of a few sources around the league \u2014 it seems as if having a deal done by the beginning of March would allow for all that\u2019s mentioned above to progress at a regular pace. In that scenario, the league could hold both its expansion draft and free agency period in March, allow the WNBA Draft to be held on schedule in April, and begin the 2026 season in May.<\/p>\n
How exactly do the CBA negotiations impact free agency? Presumably, changes to the salary cap, etc., would affect how teams organize their rosters financially and where players decide to go. So do teams and free agents have to wait until the new CBA is finalized before figuring out rosters\/making decisions? Or are there steps they can take in the meantime, even without knowing exactly how the new agreement will turn out? \u2014 Sherri.lauver<\/p>\n
Teams are currently planning for various scenarios, doing as much prep work on individual players and team-building scenarios as they can without knowing the specifics of the new framework. The precise amount of cap space franchises will have going forward will not be settled until a new deal is reached, but there is also uncertainty about whether rules regarding core contracts or protected-player deals will also change in the future CBA.<\/p>\n
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The good news for teams is that almost everyone is in a similar position. All but two WNBA players not on rookie contracts are set to be free agents this season, so everyone will have to deal with roster shakeups.<\/p>\n
I would like to hear what the WNBPA counteroffer is for what they want going forward. I want to hear what they feel they deserve. They also need to show they have done their homework on the numbers. Where does the money come from to obtain a bigger revenue share? They need to also show numbers as well to state their case for more money. \u2014 Klroberts02<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t worry, we\u2019re working to report out the WNBPA counteroffer details. But in terms of additional revenue streams, the most significant increase in league revenue going forward is coming in the form of the 11-year, $2.2 billion media rights deal, which will go into effect next season.<\/p>\n
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Though that is the biggest media rights deal the WNBA has \u2014 referred to as its Tranche 1 \u2014 it also has a series of lesser-value media rights deals, including with Scripps to continue airing games on ION. Versant, the media company that will be spun out next year featuring NBCUniversal\u2019s cable television networks, is also paying the WNBA for the rights to broadcast the regular season, playoffs and even portions of WNBA Finals in select years.<\/p>\n
The WNBA can also initiate a \u201clook-in\u201d provision on its Tranche 1 deal in three years to increase the value of the $2.2 billion agreement with ESPN\/Disney, Amazon and NBC. It is unclear what the increase would exactly be, but the value of whatever new agreement is reached can only be more than what is currently contracted, so the \u201clook-in\u201d represents another significant revenue opportunity.<\/p>\n
What can realistically be done about WNBA officiating? Is it a training issue or are there better officials somewhere who could be hired? Also could NBA officials be considered to work in the WNBA? \u2014 Matt C.<\/p>\n
Are the league and WNBPA also negotiating the quality, or lack thereof, of officiating? Does the league truly want Roller Derby in sneakers to continue? \u2014 Mark L<\/p>\n
During the 2025 WNBA Finals, Engelbert acknowledged that the league has room to improve its officiating. She said it was \u201cpretty clear that we\u2019re misaligned\u201d on what stakeholders want, and that \u201cchange is needed to serve the WNBA to the level of excellence that is not currently being met in the various stakeholders\u2019 eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
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That was a notable admission to several league coaches and executives, who for years have felt their frustration about officiating was falling on deaf ears. Granular talks on how to improve officiating will commence when the league\u2019s competition committee, made up of head coaches and general managers, meets in November. The topic of officiating often comes up at such sessions, and it is bound to arise again, especially as the details of the recently announced \u201cstate of the game\u201d committee get ironed out.<\/p>\n
Some stakeholders prefer systematic solutions to the officiating issue, such as paying referees more and offering them full-time salaries. Creating a dedicated WNBA replay center and providing more direction to crews about how certain games should be called will likely also be highlighted.<\/p>\n