The WNBPA opted out of the current CBA on October 21 last year, and since then, both the league and the union have been trying to find common ground. But with just two days left before a potential lockout, a deal still isn’t in sight. Both parties, instead, have been going back and forth, putting pressure on each other. But finally, there’s hope as the league’s ready to take the extra step to get a deal done!

So far, the two parties have sat across tables multiple times to negotiate, but none of those talks have worked – mainly because players seem to be sticking to their demand for a better revenue-sharing system. And now, a lockout threat is looming. However, if you ask ESPN, missing the deadline “doesn’t mean” a lockout will “automatically happen.” And yes, that’s exactly what’s happening!

As per the latest update by ESPN, Cathy Engelbert has offered the WNBPA a 30-day extension to negotiate the CBA – simply put, a request to hit the pause button to temporarily prevent a lockout. A smart move indeed. That’s because both parties are now in a similar bind, running out of time and patience. And a lockout would benefit no one.

While it’s months before the season starts, a lockout would ultimately delay everything in its path. With over 100 WNBA players hitting free agency, processes like access to facilities and trades would come to a halt. Last year, the draft for the Golden State Valkyries was held in December, where the team selected 11 players from the remaining teams.

So, as two expansion teams – Toronto Tempo and Portland Fire – prepare to debut next season, the draft process would halt too. So far, the two teams have finalized their coaches, with Toronto signing Sandy Brondello, whereas Portland went with Alex Sarama.

But the halt isn’t the only fear – reputation is too. The league has seen a significant boost in attendance and viewership ever since the arrival of the 2024 rookie class. In just two years, it inked a $2.2 billion rights deal with ESPN, Amazon, and NBC Universal.

And that’s not it. “Those numbers have also drawn big sponsors, including Delta, Nike, and CarMax. CarMax tells us it is following the developments closely and that it remains focused on the league’s growth and celebrating the athletes who inspire fans,” shared Julia Boorstin, CNBC’s senior media and tech reporter, yesterday. So yes, a setback at this point could be harmful.

This means there’s a possibility that the two parties – the WNBPA and the league – will agree on an extension. As WNBPA senior advisor and legal counsel Erin Drake admitted, “We’re having constant conversations with players, but that is a strategic decision for everyone to consider. Of course, an extension is always on the table, as are a number of other options,” she said when asked about an extension during a recent episode of the No Offseason podcast. “The biggest benefit (of an extension) is certainty. You know what the next period under that extension is going to look like. It’s going to look like this agreement. … The drawback of that is that you have cemented this reality while you’re negotiating and that things remain the same.” But while the comments suggest the WNBPA would agree, they might not!

The league and union’s back-and-forth continues.

While a lockout would benefit no one, the WNBPA still seems to disagree with the extension offer. According to The Athletic’s source, the WNBPA appears quite set in its ways, looking for an extension under the right circumstances that “do not yet exist.” And not just that – the W also claimed that the union is “disseminating public disinformation by spending more time than actually engaging at the negotiation table.”

But if you ask the WNBPA, the league is just trying to “run out the clock,” suggesting that the W’s late-response tactics may be aimed at cornering the union into accepting unfavorable terms. That’s why, while the league reportedly submitted its latest proposal on October 1, it didn’t receive a response from the players until October 27. 

So, yes situation is intense, but is this something new?  The last CBA negotiation cycle in 2019 followed a similar pattern of friction and extensions. Back then, the deadline was initially set for October 21 but was pushed back for 60 days – until December 31 – when the current CBA was finally signed.

Well, the déjà vu is hard to miss: tension, mistrust, and eleventh-hour decisions seem to have become a norm in WNBA labor history. Still, what do you think? Will the league and the union finally find a middle ground, or are we about to witness another last-minute scramble?