Cathy Engelbert might wish she had Doctor Strange’s powers right now because time is running out fast. With the October 31 CBA deadline looming, tensions between the WNBA and its players are nearing a breaking point. After Napheesa Collier’s recent criticism of Engelbert’s leadership, relations are colder than ever. Fever star Sophie Cunningham warned, “We aren’t going to play until they give us what we deserve.” While an extension seems likely, as Rachel DeMita noted, things are getting “sticky” for the league.

Discussing key WNBA offseason dates on Courtside Club, Rachel DeMita noted, “November and December are the expansion draft and the draft lottery… they’re a thousand percent not getting it done by then.” With the WNBA and WNBPA remaining split on core issues, month-end seems a challenging task because last year’s lottery was held on November 17.

The league has reportedly proposed an $850,000 max salary and $200,000 veteran minimum, but players want an NBA-style revenue share instead of one tied to league-set targets. It feels like the league has months before the next, but if we stack up the events, it starts to look grim for Cathy Engelbert.

“If I were to guess, I would think that they would need to get the CBA finished before January, just so they can have as much of a runway as they need to do the expansion draft to do the draft lottery, and then to get free agency moving. Because when you start stacking these things, if they’re not able to get these things finished before April, which is when WNBA preseason and training camp start, then that’s where it starts to get really, really sticky.” DeMita further said. It’s a domino.

If the WNBA delays the lottery, it will affect the franchise’s squad-building plans and the hype around the 2026 draft. Also, a delayed draft means a delayed expansion draft for the two new teams, in Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo. It doesn’t look like a good start for franchises just finding their footing. Then the WNBA will need to give enough time for the 2026 free agency since almost 80% of the league has their contracts up to match the CBA.

The schedule in 2026 could be stretched further from an already tight 44-game season, so they could want an earlier start in April. Both problems compound to have a sandwich-like impact on Engelbert’s plans. With the WNBA facing a hoard of issues, Unrivaled Season 2 in January is a pivotal one for women’s basketball. 

Unrivaled emerging as a threat to the WNBA amid ongoing CBA uncertainty

Unrivaled was never supposed to rival the WNBA. At least according to their president, Alex Bazzell. “There are so many positives from us both being in existence. I tell people all the time: The WNBA continuing to grow and thrive helps our league. … I’m hopeful they come to a CBA agreement,” Bazzell said in July. Napheesa Collier brushed off the conflict of interest conversations. Whether they want it or not, Unrivaled is one of the threats to the WNBA, especially considering the tricky CBA situation. 

Season 1 was so hit that some compared it to the WNBA. They averaged 221,000 viewers on TNT and truTV while reportedly making more than $27 million in revenue, “almost breaking even”. Going into the second season, the league has already secured a series B investment round, valuing the league at $340 million. That’s barely a fraction of what the WNBA is worth in 2025 (reportedly around $3.5 billion), but Unrivaled has achieved this all within one year. It is basically demonstrating the WNBA that operating women’s basketball and earning money at the same time is possible. 

If the WNBA becomes a shadow of what it is through the intense CBA negotiations, Unrivaled is a valid route for the players to take. It was co-founded by two of their players. Hypothetically, Unrivaled can easily expand to 5v5 basketball while keeping their 3v3 format alive, if they had more time on the schedule. The Saudi-backed Series B project is threatening to make both Unrivaled and WNBA irrelevant, but that is still considered in its infancy.

If Unrivaled takes off in 2026 with its expansion, it could leave its Series B overlap in the dust while ramping up the pressure on the WNBA, turning from a fledgling startup into a serious threat to the league’s dominance. Unrivaled’s rapid growth, expansion, and player-first model position it to disrupt the status quo and redefine the future of women’s professional basketball.