We all thought the league finally responding to the union’s counterproposal after six weeks would kickstart the endgame of this more than a year-long negotiation. Instead, it has only highlighted how far apart the two sides still are in the WNBA CBA talks.

The union responded to the WNBA’s latest proposal by lowering its demands, a move that seemed to indicate that the negotiations were heading in the right direction. But according to ESPN reporter Alexa Philippou, that’s no longer the case.

Why is that? Because, in the league’s view, the gap is still massive. A WNBA spokesperson said the union’s latest offer doesn’t bring the sides any closer to a deal. “The Players Association’s latest proposal remains unrealistic and would cause hundreds of millions of dollars of losses for our teams,” the statement shared by the ESPN reporter said. “We still need to complete two Drafts [a two-team expansion draft and college draft] and free agency before the start of training camp and are running out of time. We believe the WNBA’s proposal would result in a huge win for current players and generations to come.”

The biggest talking point in the WNBA CBA negotiations has always been the revenue-sharing component of the deal. In its latest proposal, while the union didn’t change the structure of its salary model, it did make concessions on its share of the pie.

The players are now asking for 25 percent of total revenue in the first year of the new CBA, with that figure gradually rising to an average of 27.5 percent over the life of the deal. That marks a noticeable drop from their earlier proposal, which called for a 28 percent starting share and a 31 percent average. 

But that’s not all! Because of the lowered revenue-share request, the union’s proposed salary cap has fallen from $10.5 million in its earlier proposal to less than $9.5 million in the latest proposal. On top of that, the offer also addressed the housing issue, which had become another major talking point.

Right now, every player is guaranteed housing under the current CBA. But with salaries expected to rise in the new agreement, the league has proposed scaling back that obligation — which at first was met with a resounding no from the union, but now they have agreed to scale back their demands.

According to The Athletic, in their latest proposal, the teams would need to continue providing housing for the first few years of the agreement, but eventually, players on multiyear guaranteed deals close to the max would need to handle their own living arrangements.

But the league had proposed limiting housing to players on minimum contracts or with zero years of service, and only through 2028.

As things stand, the union scaling back its demands still isn’t enough for the league to agree, and we could be looking at a future where the WNBA heads toward its first lockout in 30 years. The good news, though, is that there are still a few areas where both sides see eye to eye, offering some hope that a deal can eventually be reached.

Hope Remains for a WNBA CBA Deal

NBA commissioner Adam Silver urged both parties during All-Star Weekend to reach a deal as soon as possible, warning that the league stands to lose significant money if they don’t. In the end, no one wants these players missing time or the WNBA stuck operating as a loss-making league.

And while the finish line may look distant right now, The Athletic reports that there are still areas where the league and union see eye to eye in the current WNBA CBA negotiations. According to reporter Sabreena Merchant, both sides are making progress toward common ground on minimum facility standards. They also appear aligned on adding two developmental-player spots per team to the 12-player roster.

For now, all we can really do is hope the rest of the negotiations start falling into place. A lot rides on whether the league and the union can meet in the middle on revenue sharing. If they can sort that out, the rest might come together faster than expected. What do you think? Will they get a deal done in time for the 2026 season? Let us know in the comments.