{"id":96748,"date":"2025-08-25T21:06:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T21:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/96748\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T21:06:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T21:06:08","slug":"wnba-cba-deal-probably-not-going-to-happen-before-deadline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/96748\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA CBA Deal ‘Probably Not Going to Happen’ Before Deadline"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tWith the WNBA<\/a> and its players association still far apart on a new collective bargaining agreement<\/a>, WNBPA<\/a> executive committee secretary Elizabeth Williams is doubtful that a deal will be struck by the Oct. 31 deadline. The Chicago Sky forward is far from alone in that concern among players, according to sources familiar with the ongoing negotiations.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cInitially the end of October was ideal, but that\u2019s probably not going to happen,\u201d Williams told Sportico. \u201cThat\u2019s where we wanted to be, but I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll be ready. \u2026 I\u2019m staying cautiously optimistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRepresentatives from the WNBA and the Women\u2019s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) reconvened last week in New York to continue negotiations, and the union sent a new proposal to the WNBA in response to the league\u2019s June counter that was met with a public backlash<\/a> by players. WNBPA officials held a player meeting on Monday to provide an update on last week\u2019s talks. Both sides are still at odds on defining which income streams fall under team revenue\u2014an impasse that has wide implications for a revamped revenue-sharing system that players desire in this CBA<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAs we approach the 60-day mark, the league\u2019s lack of urgency leaves players wondering if it is focused on making this work or just running out of the clock,\u201d WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson said in a statement to Sportico. \u201cFans do not want that. They are with the players in demanding a new standard for the W. The players have been ready from day one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLast month, several members on the player committee, including Seattle Storm star and union president Nneka Ogwumike, expressed frustration<\/a> over the state of negotiations but remained hopeful about striking a new accord before November. The tenor of recent conversations, however, has dimmed that belief. If sides cannot come to an agreement through Oct. 31, it would prompt an extended deadline, which would need to be agreed upon by both parties prior to Nov. 1, according to a source.<\/p>\n

\n\tWNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert insinuated that could be an option last month during the All-Star Break in Indianapolis. This maneuver isn\u2019t uncommon, as both sides extended the last CBA deadline and didn\u2019t come into an agreement until January 2020, right before the beginning of free agency. But a deadline extension this time around\u2014coming amid an economic boom<\/a> for the league\u2014has different ramifications.<\/p>\n

\n\tThis includes potentially slowing momentum for two new franchises in Portland and Toronto, which are slated to begin their inaugural seasons next year. An extension could possibly push back an expansion draft date. The Golden State Valkyries, the league\u2019s 13th team, held their expansion draft in December last year, providing extra time to promote players and prepare for the free agency period.<\/p>\n

\n\tIf CBA negotiations cut into the offseason, that also has potential to delay the most anticipated free agency in years, with more than 80% of the league\u2019s players set to be out of contract. The pushback could make for a unique negotiation period if players are inking new deals as they navigate obligations with overseas teams and alt-leagues like Unrivaled.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the WNBA and its players association still far apart on a new collective bargaining agreement, WNBPA executive…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96749,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[629],"tags":[49,48,4233,82,630,56438],"class_list":{"0":"post-96748","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wnba","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-cba","11":"tag-sports","12":"tag-wnba","13":"tag-wnbpa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96748\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}