The WNBA and the WNBPA have failed to agree on the new CBA terms. The agreed moratorium continues to stifle teams’ and free agents’ ability to begin negotiations over a contract for the 2026 season. The meeting on Monday was far from fruitful, with the WNBA reportedly coming to the table without a resolution or proposal to offer.

There are fewer than 100 days left until the start of the 2026 season, and with the offseason proceedings yet to begin, the free agents are set to take the biggest hit. Normally, contractual talks begin in January, but we are now into February with no room for talks because of the moratorium. And according to WNBA reporter Annie Costabile, it might be time to ring the alarm bells.

Costabile joined Rachel DeMita on her YouTube channel to talk about the CBA and its impact on the free agents, with almost 100 players set to enter Free Agency this time.

“Free agency in the WNBA is unique. It’s always been a sprint… What we’ve seen in the years since is that between mid-January to the first week of February, free agency is popping. And so I think that the league is betting, or there’s a sense that free agency has always gone super quick. But to your point, the difference here is there are so many more free agents, and they are the people that are going to be most impacted.

“Kahleah Copper said this during the first week of Unrivaled, is that our free agency experience is going to be impacted because how are we going to go visit teams and talk to teams?”

A lot of players, like Kelsey Mitchell, signed a one-year supermax deal in 2025 and are free agents. Fellow Fever star Sophie Cunningham is also entering Free Agency, whereas Kelsey Plum had accepted a smaller contract in favor of a shorter deal during her trade and will also be a free agent.

With a lot more money likely to be on the table with new CBA terms, players would also need time to deliberate over which offer to go with, as variables change astronomically.

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Costabile also added that the WNBA’s move to come to the Monday meeting without a proposal could also be seen as a strategic move, with the governing body well aware of the fact that the players, especially the free agents, will be the most impacted because of the delays in agreeing to new CBA terms.

No clarity over rules and timelines for the Expansion Draft is a cause for worry

The delay in a CBA agreement has already started trickling down to other crucial offseason proceedings. Two new teams are set to enter the league, with Toronto and Portland set to build their roster from an Expansion Draft featuring unprotected players from other WNBA franchises.

The Toronto Tempo Head Coach, Sandy Brondello, had already outlined her concerns over the inability to start talking to players and building their shortlist because of the CBA standstill.

The rules of the Expansion Draft are yet to be defined and communicated to the new teams, with Annie Costabile reporting that everyone is working under the assumption that the rules from the Expansion Draft conducted for the Golden State Valkyries will be retained.

The next step in the timeline would be to inform the existing teams to submit their list of protected players. Teams like the Indiana Fever will need time to deliberate over which players to protect from the said draft, with the likes of Kelsey Mitchell, Sophie Cunningham, Lexie Hull, Aerial Powers, and Aari McDonald all proving to be valuable players to the franchise.

The Expansion Draft will then take place, and the new teams can build their roster from the draft and the Free Agency pool, which will also be accessible to all other WNBA franchises.

If it continues like this, a delayed start to the season will no longer be a probability. It shall become inevitable, given that the league will have to conduct this Expansion Draft with enough time to spare for teams to build, train, and prepare for the start of the new season in May.