DiJonai Carrington is as bold as they come. Remember that, along with Angel Reese, she was the first WNBA athlete to threaten a lockout. “I gotta get in the meetings because I’m hearing, if y’all don’t give us what we want, we’re sitting out,” Reese said.”That’s a possibility,” Carrington replied. “For real.” Now, the Minnesota Lynx guard has clearly stated that the league’s greed is one of the factors stalling the negotiations. 

The WNBA and WNBPA extended the current CBA until January 9 after failing to agree in more than a year of negotiations and another month’s extension. Initially, the league offered a similar revenue structure to the previous CBA, which the players declined.

In the latest reported proposal, the league is offering a significant salary increase and a piece of the pie, but removing housing privileges.  

“They’re just greedy. Like they need to change the whole business model.” Di Jonai Carrington said on the Underground Lounge podcast with Lou Williams and Spank Horton. The league has reportedly lost money almost every year of its existence and was projected to lose around 50 million in 2024.

That might indicate a problem of demand, but the numbers indicate otherwise. Attendance hit record levels in 2024. 

Total attendance hit 2,353,735, the league’s highest in 22 years and up 48% year over year. It recorded a 322% increase in online search interest in 2024, the largest jump of any sports property tracked by Redtorch.

TV audiences increased, and they cracked a $200 million per year media deal based on that, which is undervalued according to some experts. 

On the other hand, Unrivaled has made approximately $30 million just in its first season, nearly breaking even. This September, the tournament hit a $340 million valuation. While in slightly different spheres, Unrivaled showed that profiting from women’s basketball is possible.

According to Carrington, it certainly affected the WNBA. “They definitely lit a fire under the W for sure,”  Carrington said. “The league is looking at I think is looking at Unrivaled as competition.”

Time and time again, Unrivaled has maintained that it does not want to compete with the WNBA. To further up the stakes, Alex Bazzel offered the WNBA and NBA a chance to invest in the league.

“We went to the WNBA early,” Bazzell said. “Number one, told them about it and were certainly open to a partnership in terms of equity and ownership.” However, neither did respond to Unrivaled‘s offer. 

“I don’t understand that because I think it can work. Two different seasons. It kind of prepares you for the W and can act as a training camp to keep you in shape in the offseason,” Carrington further said. “The only way to stay in shape, basketball shape, is to play. So, it’s another way to play, not having to go overseas. Like, I feel like the W should be happy about Unrivaled.”

Theoretically, it works, but it seems the league doesn’t agree. Beyond the CBA fight and Unrivaled’s rise, Carrington goes a step further, suggesting the cut-throat nature of the current CBA in the WNBA ultimately allows for little loyalty.

DiJonai Carrington Calls Out the WNBA’s Loyalty Problem

A few years ago, players would spend most of their careers at a single franchise and ultimately retire there. Examples like Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi spring to mind.

However, the trend is changing in the WNBA. “I feel like it’s because there’s no loyalty. You know how that goes, you can get traded at any second.”DiJonai Carrington said. “During this season, we saw so many trades that people had no clue it was coming.”

Jewell Loyd and Kelsey Plum changed locations in a massive three-team deal that sent Loyd to the Las Vegas Aces, Plum to the Los Angeles Sparks, and a collection of assets to the Seattle Storm that included the No. 2 pick in the 2025 draft.

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In addition, a blockbuster four-team trade saw the Indiana Fever acquire Sophie Cunningham (from Phoenix) while sending the talented NaLyssa Smith to the Dallas Wings. This illustrates the increased player movement DiJonai Carrington has highlighted, including her own in-season trade from the Wings to the Minnesota Lynx.

Carrington further explained how the current CBA and the league mechanics affect these decisions.

“Now it’s like about facilities and about who has max contracts available, I mean, people try to build super teams now. Nobody really has loyalty,” She said. “They want to go where everybody else is going. Go where they could win.”

The current CBA leaves teams pretty constrained. They have limited players on maximum contracts out of the 12 positions. And the insufficient salary numbers, which the players are striving to improve, make the super max and maximum contracts even more desirable.

Not every league has the best facility, as teams like the Chicago Sky still lag. Sky has notably lost multiple players due to its poor facilities. However, that could change after the upcoming CBA.

Depending on the numbers, if the disparity still remains despite the increase, these factors would continue to affect the trades.