The WNBA offseason is heating up as the league and players’ union race to finalize a new CBA before the October 31 deadline. With over 100 players set to hit free agency in 2026, many are waiting to see if the new deal brings bigger paychecks before signing beyond 2025. The big question remains — will it?

The WNBPA’s October 2024 opt-out was a bold move for fair pay, better benefits, and authentic revenue sharing. Led by Nneka Ogwumike, players united behind long-term equity over short-term gains. A year later, talks have stalled, tensions are rising, and with just two days left before a possible lockout, the league has made a last-minute offer to keep negotiations alive.

No, it isn’t the real deal – but a possible pause to prevent the lockout. As per ESPN, the league has offered a 30-day extension to sit and negotiate the CBA. The latest proposal came on October 1, but the union responded only weeks later, on October 27, effectively stalling progress.

“We have been negotiating with the Players Association in good faith and with urgency for several months to finalize a new collective bargaining agreement as quickly as possible,” shared the league’s spokesperson in a statement to The Athletic. “Throughout this process, we have been clear that our top priority is reaching a new collective bargaining agreement that addresses players’ ask for significant increases in pay, benefits, and enhancements to their experience, while ensuring the long-term growth and success of the league and its teams.”

The WNBA’s statement to The Athletic came after criticism that it was slowing negotiations. Having submitted a proposal on October 1 and receiving no response from the WNBPA for nearly a month, the league defended itself, saying it had acted “in good faith and with urgency.” It acknowledged players’ demands for higher pay and better benefits but emphasized the need for financial stability.

Since the start, league officials have promised a “transformative deal,” including a revenue-sharing plan and a potential maximum salary of $850,000. Still, with the union holding firm, tensions have grown, and the league has accused the WNBPA of delaying talks.

Something that isn’t fruitful for either party. That’s because a lockout would leave players, including Caitlin Clark and 155 others, uncertain about future salaries, benefits, and structural changes heading into 2026. While the 2026 season will start in spring, the process begins during the 2025 offseason with trades.

Now, with two expansion teams—Portland and Toronto—scheduled to debut, the league has more work to do, from holding the draft to filling out rosters. Notably, last season, the Valkyries’ draft was held in December, but if a lockout looms, everything would be delayed.

So, an extension and continued negotiation seem to be the only way to get through.

But will the players agree to it?

Last October, when the WNBPA pulled out of the current CBA, president Nneka Ogwumike called it a “defining moment.” As the league’s growth surged, the players outlined their desire for an equitable economic model. Yet, 12 months have passed, and there’s still no sign of a new agreement in place by the October 31 deadline.

Still, the players are firm in their demand. As executive director Terri Jackson puts it best, “[The players are] really quite clear and laser focused on what they’re fighting for, … and what they said a year ago was true six months ago, was true six weeks ago, six days ago,” she told ESPN earlier this week.

And the ask remains the same—not just a significant salary increase, but a change in the underlying system. Still, the league seems nowhere near that point. “The league’s response has been to run out the clock, put lipstick on a pig, and retread a system that isn’t tied to any part of the business and intentionally undervalues the players,” shared Terri Jackson, rebuking Adam Silver’s framing of the players’ financial demands.

So, if you ask the union, the league’s late-response tactics may be aimed at cornering the players into accepting unfavorable terms. That’s why, while the league didn’t receive a response from the players until October 27, negotiations continue to be marked by tension and distrust.

But no worries—both parties are still working to find a middle ground. They’ve got more time to negotiate into November or beyond, whether through a lockout or an extension. For now, all eyes are on whether this latest proposal can buy them time – or if women’s basketball’s biggest offseason will become its most uncertain one yet.