The WNBA’s 30th season is less than a month away.
That was not a given before March 20, when the WNBA and WNBPA signed a term sheet for a new collective bargaining agreement, ending what had at times been a contentious negotiation.
The WNBA announced the CBA as “one of the most transformational labor agreements ever reached in major professional sports.” Among the historic components is a substantial jump in the salary cap and player salaries.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the 2026 salary cap will start at $7 million, increasing from $1.5 million in 2025. The average player salary will come in at around $600,000, and the supermax will start at $1.4 million, up from $249,244.
Decorated stars such as A’ja Wilson, Napheesa Collier, and Breanna Stewart are top candidates for supermax contracts for the 2026 season. But young stars on their rookie contracts will still benefit handsomely.
According to Spotrac, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick and Indiana Fever All-Star guard Caitlin Clark will see her salary jump from $85,000 to $528,000. Similarly, the 2025 No. 1 overall pick and Dallas Wings All-Star Paige Bueckers’ salary will increase from $80,000 to $500,000.
Cameron Brink, the Los Angeles Sparks’ No. 2 overall pick in 2024, will see her salary go from $85,000 to $493,000, and Chicago Sky All-Star Angel Reese is set to earn $350,000 after collecting $75,000 in salary last year.
Spotrac clarified, “These are base value escalators that don’t yet include the additional honors bonuses being built in.”
Spotrac included the Fever’s three-time All-Star Aliyah Boston as enjoying a jump from $94,000 to $574,000, but Boston may be max-eligible this offseason.
The 2023 No. 1 overall pick was named to the All-WNBA team last season, which could make her eligible one year before her rookie deal expires if the final CBA language included the “Exceptional Performance on Initial Contract” provision, per ESPN’s Alexa Philippou.
Under that EPIC provision, Clark would become max-eligible in 2027 for earning All-WNBA honors in 2024, and Bueckers would become max-eligible in 2028 for earning All-WNBA honors in 2025.
On Sunday, the WNBA announced its 2026 free agency timeline for this week. The designation period will take place on Monday and Tuesday, before the negotiation period opens on Wednesday and runs through Friday, and official signings can begin on Saturday.
The 2026 WNBA Draft is on April 13, and the regular season begins on May 8.
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