It’s no secret that the WNBA players’ union isn’t supportive of the league’s latest Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) offerings. In particular, the players seem offended by the suggestions that the league could take away team-sponsored housing and bump up the start date to potentially as early as mid-March. <\/p>\n
Pushing the beginning of the WNBA season to mid-March already poses a challenge for college players who will be drafted, especially since many will likely be participating in March Madness and hoping to win a championship. Traditionally, the WNBA Draft has been held a few weeks after the tournament ends.<\/p>\n
But changing the start date could also negatively impact the players who are already in the league, especially those who play in other leagues (like Unrivaled and AU Pro Basketball) during the offseason. Per reporting by Front Office Sports’ Annie Costabile<\/a>, plenty of players are unhappy that the WNBA \u2014 which “is not yet the premier league in terms of salaries, resources, and benefits” \u2014 feels it has the authority to potentially derail their earning potential elsewhere. <\/p>\n It’s currently unclear if the WNBA would expect league exclusivity from players should the latest proposal be ratified, but it seems to be implicitly implied, Costabile also reported. The proposed schedule would interfere with EuroLeague and Project B. The latter league, which has yet to get fully off the ground, has already signed star players such as Nneka Ogwumike, Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones, Jewell Loyd, Kelsey Mitchell, and Sophie Cunningham.<\/p>\n