![\"Sabrina](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2225976900.jpg\")
Sabrina Ionescu (left) and Caitlin Clark wear T-shirts that say \u201cPay us what you owe us\u201d at the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game 2025 on July 19, 2025. NBAE via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Monday was supposed to be a pivotal meeting \u2014 one that Kelsey Plum said she planned to \u201clearn a lot\u201d from.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ultimately, though, it probably could\u2019ve just been an email.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As ongoing negotiations pose a threat to the scheduled start of the 2026 season, the WNBA, led by commission Cathy Engelbert,\u00a0came to the conference room without a response to the union\u2019s proposal that was submitted Christmas morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\t\t\tMore From\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMadeline Kenney<\/p>\n
That \u201cset the tone early\u201d for how the meeting would go, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead of hammering out details, the two sides spent the bulk of the meeting sharing their reasoning behind the proposal and certain topics. The face time between players and WNBA officials was a form of progress to some degree, but the meeting didn\u2019t yield tangible results.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Instead, each side left with an understanding that it\u2019s the league\u2019s turn to put something in writing.<\/p>\n
And so let the waiting game begin \u2026 again.<\/p>\n
Why didn\u2019t the WNBA come prepared with something in writing in the first place? Why has it been nearly six weeks since a proposal has been exchanged with the upcoming season scheduled to start fewer than 95 days away<\/a>?<\/p>\n One source told The Post the WNBA didn\u2019t believe the union\u2019s proposal warranted a response because it was \u201cessentially unchanged\u201d from the previous proposal.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, that sentiment \u2014 that the WNBPA\u2019s most recent proposal was too incremental \u2014 was never expressed directly to the union at any point leading up to Monday\u2019s meeting, sources said.<\/p>\n There was a feeling from some within the WNBPA that Monday would be when that response from the league would finally come.\u00a0<\/p>\n That didn\u2019t officially happen.<\/p>\n Anyone who\u2019s sat in a seat at a bargaining table understands negotiations are a game of chess. Sometimes, a side makes little, calculated moves or compromises in areas to push the process forward.<\/p>\n Even if the WNBA didn\u2019t feel the union\u2019s proposal had many changes, the league still could\u2019ve prepared a response of its own with some minor tweaks or marginal changes.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/wnba-logo-seen-near-hoop-118524887.jpg\"){kind=logo}
The new WNBA is slated to start in fewer than 95 days \u2014 if the CBA mess is cleaned up. AP<\/p>\n