The WNBA players\u2019 union submitted its latest collective bargaining agreement counterproposal to the league Tuesday, sources familiar with the negotiations confirmed to The Athletic.<\/p>\n
The issue at the heart of the negotiations is revenue share. Although the players\u2019 union\u2019s proposal did not fundamentally change the structure or calculation of its salary model, it made concessions on the players\u2019 piece of the pie. The players are asking for 25 percent of total revenue in the first year of the new CBA; that percentage would be scaled up over the course of the agreement so that it averages out to 27.5 percent over the life of the deal. The union\u2019s previous proposal started at a 28 percent revenue share in Year 1, averaging to 31 percent.<\/p>\n
As a result of the decrease in percent of revenue share, the union\u2019s proposed salary cap drops from $10.5 million in its prior proposal to less than $9.5 million in its current proposal.<\/p>\n
The WNBA\u2019s most recent proposal, which the union received Feb. 6, included a salary cap of $5.65 million, up from its previous offer of $5.55 million.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Players Association\u2019s latest proposal remains unrealistic and would cause hundreds of millions of dollars of losses for our teams,\u201d a league spokesperson told The Athletic. \u201cWe still need to complete two drafts and free agency before the start of training camp and are running out of time.\u00a0 We believe the WNBA\u2019s proposal would result in a huge win for current players and generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another item of contention in the negotiations has been housing. In the current CBA, teams are required to provide housing to all players, but with the projected increase in salaries in the new agreement, the league has proposed curtailing teams\u2019 obligations. The players\u2019 latest proposal requires housing for the first several years of the agreement, per a source familiar with the negotiation. Beyond that, players on multiyear guaranteed contracts earning close to the maximum salary would have to secure their own housing.<\/p>\n
The league had suggested that only players on minimum contracts or with zero years of service be provided housing, and only through 2028.<\/p>\n
As the parties work through their wedge issues (namely, a new economic model, retirement benefits and minimum professional standards), they are inching closer on the common ground of minimum standards for facilities. They also appear to be in alignment on adding two developmental-player spots per team to the 12-player roster. How those developmental players are salaried and housed remains to be determined.<\/p>\n
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Saturday there wasn\u2019t a drop-dead date for the negotiations<\/a> to ensure a complete season, but said, \u201cWe need to now move toward the next-level sense of urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n