The WNBA’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is set to expire Friday and it appears the league and players association remain far apart on a new deal.<\/p>\n
According to a new report from ESPN’s Alexa Philippou<\/a>, the WNBA has offered players a 30-day extension to continue negotiations for a new CBA ahead of the current deal’s expiration on Oct. 31. The WNBPA chose to opt out of the current CBA last year<\/a>, which set the stage for the two sides to work toward a new deal this offseason to avoid a work stoppage. <\/p>\n The extension offer comes at a time of contention between the league and its players, which was ignited by Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier’s public criticism <\/a>of commissioner Cathy Engelbert and the WNBA’s inconsistent officiating in her end of season press conference. Philippou noted that both sides agreed to a 60-day extension in the last round of CBA talks in 2020, but the extension may not be a given this time. She wrote in ESPN<\/a> that a league source mentioned the players might be willing to consider an extension “under the right circumstances” but they feel “those circumstances do not yet exist.”<\/p>\n