{"id":406151,"date":"2026-01-13T08:42:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T08:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/406151\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T08:42:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T08:42:09","slug":"wnba-free-agency-frozen-league-players-still-at-odds-as-cba-talks-hit-stalemate-nba-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/406151\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA Free Agency Frozen: League, Players Still At Odds As CBA Talks Hit Stalemate | Nba News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last Updated:January 13, 2026, 13:58 IST<\/p>\n

WNBA and WNBPA enter a moratorium after failing to agree on a new CBA, halting free agency and expansion plans amid disputes over revenue sharing and salary cap proposals.\"font\"\"new\"new<\/a>\"WNBA's<\/p>\n

WNBA’s Napheesa Collier (X)<\/p>\n

The WNBA offseason has slammed into pause mode.<\/p>\n

The league and the Women\u2019s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) have agreed to a moratorium on league business, including free agency, after failing to strike a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement by last week\u2019s deadline.<\/p>\n

Negotiations had already been extended twice since the end of the 2025 season, but with the CBA officially expiring at midnight ET on Friday, talks have stalled.<\/p>\n

While both sides have entered a temporary \u201cstatus quo” period \u2013maintaining the previous working conditions \u2014 the new moratorium means teams cannot issue qualifying offers, apply core designations, or sign free agents.<\/p>\n

At the heart of the deadlock is money.<\/p>\n

Players are holding out for a transformational CBA that reflects the league\u2019s rapid growth. The WNBPA has pushed for a true revenue-sharing model, proposing that players receive 30% of gross revenue and a salary cap of around $10.5 million. The league reportedly rejected that structure, calling it financially unsustainable.<\/p>\n

The WNBA\u2019s counterproposal would give players 50\u201370% of net revenue, but the union wants guarantees tied to gross revenue instead. Under the league\u2019s framework, average salaries would skyrocket from roughly $120,000 to $530,000, while max salaries could jump from $249,244 to $1.3 million immediately, potentially nearing $2 million by the end of the deal. The salary cap would start at $5 million and scale upward with revenue.<\/p>\n

But definitions of \u201crevenue,” transparency around expenses, and growing distrust remain major sticking points.<\/p>\n

The timing couldn\u2019t be worse. Expansion drafts for Portland and Toronto, free agency, and the college draft are all squeezed into an increasingly compressed offseason.<\/p>\n

The WNBA has never lost games to a labor dispute in its 30-year history. But with the clock ticking, the pressure is only intensifying.<\/p>\n

(with Reuters inputs)<\/p>\n

First Published:<\/p>\n

January 13, 2026, 12:58 IST<\/p>\n

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