Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers are driving unprecedented growth for the WNBA, but their rookie-scale contracts don’t reflect that impact. Now, a new CBA agreement is set to change that financial reality.

While the minimum salary in the WNBA will rise to around $300,000 under the new CBA, rookies like Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers are still on rookie contracts, and their salaries don’t match their impact on the league.

These two players are a primary reason for the WNBA’s rising viewership and attention. According to Alexa Philippou, the CBA has a new provision whereby players on rookie contracts are eligible for max and supermax deals in their fourth year if they make the All-WNBA teams and become the MVP, respectively.

Also, the WNBA will formally include the charter flights program in the new CBA, an initiative started in 2024 by the governing body. As the sport continues to rise in popularity, charter flights will help players avoid crowds and ensure their safety.

The charter flights also add an air of exclusivity to the sport, making fan interactions rarer, which should increase the physical fanfare at matches and events. Also, the NBA has had charter flights as part of its CBA since the 1980s, when the sport faced its first worldwide growth spurt.

It’s part of showing players that the league cares about the problems that come with increasing stardom and is eager to help them manage it.

The new CBA agreement includes terms that will benefit players across the league, from veterans to rookies. The players adjusted their demands to agree to a lower share of total revenue. Meanwhile, the league has ensured adequate rewards for players on rookie deals, acknowledging their on-court and off-court impact.

The new CBA terms aim to better compensate the league’s new wave of superstars, including Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, whose arrivals have sparked unprecedented attention. The new CBA terms ensure increased salaries for everyone. But Clark and Bueckers are still on long-term rookie deals and will only be eligible for supermax and max contracts once their current deals expire.

Clark and Bueckers have both made the All-WNBA teams and would thus be eligible for max contracts in the fourth year of their respective deals.

While the salary increment is not as much as players hoped it would be, the new CBA terms do reflect a major upgrade in the financial package every player will receive, along with other benefits like housing concessions that were prioritized by several players.

While the new CBA is a win for the sport, it doesn’t remove the underlying concerns that linger around the WNBA before the 2026 season.

The new CBA deal leaves a lot to be done to ensure a smooth start to the 2026 season

With the CBA settled, the WNBA now faces a frantic offseason sprint. The clock is ticking, starting with the Expansion Draft that will force established teams to make painful decisions about whom to protect.

The first focal point is the Expansion Draft, with Toronto and Portland waiting for the rules and the players who will be available to the two new teams. Once the Expansion Draft concludes, Free Agency should take center stage, especially with over 100 players testing Free Agency’s waters this offseason.

The teams could lose key players between the Expansion Draft and Free Agency because of the new salary cap. This will make this year’s Free Agency one of the most crucial ones, especially for teams harboring championship aspirations in the 2026 season.

After the bulk of the roster building is complete, it will be interesting to see who becomes the first pick in the WNBA Draft, especially with both top prospects Azzi Fudd and Awa Fam impressing in their respective games right now.

A Training Camp, which will already be cut short, will follow the WNBA Draft. The draft will be necessary because several teams will undergo complete roster overhauls during the offseason.

While everyone is happy to move past the CBA negotiations, progress still needs to happen at a tremendous pace and urgency to ensure teams are prepared to put a competitive and entertaining product on the court.