Kelsey Mitchell is one of many WNBA players who will enter Free Agency as soon as the stalled CBA concludes. While the Indiana Fever is expected to retain the 30-year-old ahead of the Expansion draft, the new CBA terms will dictate the financial package of the contract. The seasoned guard learned something while playing Unrivaled that might change how you look at the CBA negotiations and their impact on players.

Kelsey Mitchell is currently representing Hive BC in Unrivaled’s second season. She joined Lisa Leslie on the ‘Between the Lines’ podcast to talk about her journey, the Unrivaled experience, and the ongoing CBA negotiations. The 30-year-old commented that the CBA uncertainty is managing to bring the players together at Unrivaled, especially for her team.

“I think it pushed us closer. I can’t speak for every team here at Unrivaled,” she said. “But our team, specifically, a lot of us are in Free Agency on that team, and none of us knows what our future holds, which is scary. I’ll be honest with you, it’s scary. But, on the flipside, none of us knows what our future holds, so when we have these conversations about what we want to do and what we want to see and where we want to go, potentially, it comes from a place of understanding. And I love that about our group.”

The CBA negotiations are moving faster. But the WNBA and the WNBPA are still far apart. The gap has closed a bit, with both parties allowing concessions to their earlier suggestions.

Kelsey Mitchell will be one of the most coveted players in the Free Agency market. However, the Indiana Fever Head Coach Stephanie White has reiterated multiple times that the 30-year-old is the primary target for them in Free Agency, and that they will continue to build around her.

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Mitchell has dedicated her entire WNBA career to the Indiana Fever since being drafted in 2018. She has seen the highs and lows and was there for Aliyah Boston as the latter adjusted to her new reality in Indiana.

The 30-year-old currently finds her team teetering at the bottom of the Unrivaled Standings. With a few matches to go, there is still a tiny chance for Hive BC to qualify for the playoffs. As Kelsey Mitchell focuses on her Unrivaled journey with Hive BC, she will keep a close eye on how the CBA negotiations proceed, for her immediate future will depend on it.

WNBA calls latest WNBPA proposal unrealistic, warns of time crunch

The league delivered on its promise to submit a fresh proposal, one which players’ union vice president Breanna Stewart welcomed as a positive step. The terms included housing concessions and a minor increase in the salary cap. The players’ union did not follow up on the rumors of a protest during the NBA All-Star Weekend and submitted a counter-proposal.

The WNBPA has dropped its revenue-sharing ask to 27.5% of the gross revenue and has come down to a $9.5 million salary cap in 2026. Also, the proposal added that housing should be available for all players in the immediate future, and there could be clauses put in to gradually phase out the players who are on multi-year deals.

Even the players’ union vice president, Napheesa Collier, stated that the negotiations are moving in the right direction.

The WNBA, though, has come out and called the proposal unrealistic, labeling that following the WNBPA terms would cause multi-million-dollar losses to all the teams in the league. The governing body reiterated its belief that its offer presents a significant benefit for the players and other parties involved.

The league also reminded the players of the urgency of the situation. Echoing NBA Commissioner Adam Silver’s words, the league stated that there are two drafts and Free Agency left to be addressed before the preseason training begins in 2026.

The WNBA is unlikely to entertain the players’ demand for a share of gross revenue, and the players will have to consider their stance or be prepared for the worst-case scenario.