With the March 10 deadline approaching fast, it is imminent for the league and the players to reach a consensus. The WNBA told the union delay further will push the start of the 2026 season, which is set for May 8. As the new offer is on the table, fans want this saga to end. So, they do not co-sign of the opinions of  Liberty star Natasha Cloud, who is not thrilled with the offer.

The 34-year-old is currently committed to the Unrivaled’s Phantom BC, but spoke about the current CBA proposal. “We are still not making enough that middleman ( ‘middle class’ players, who aren’t on rookie contracts or the top veteran players), potentially still not making enough for housing to also be taken off the table,” said Cloud.

“Everyone knows this New York market, that though that $200,000 jump that players are going to make, that’s before taxes. That’s before what they would have to pay for a potential housing market in this in the state of New York. I still am focused on our middleman again. I think it’s a starting point, and I’m happy with them finally coming back to us with a proposal, but I think there’s a lot more that we can do to protect our middleman, even with our jump in salary.”

In the new proposal, the Union asked for a 26% of the gross revenue with the salary cap for teams around $9.5 million in the first year. The WNBA also sent a proposal where players on rookie contracts who were first or second team all-league would become eligible to sign a maximum contract in their fourth year. The proposal outlines an average maximum salary of $460,000 and a minimum salary of $220,000. This is a significant increase.

Previously, the WNBA had salaries roughly range from a minimum of $66,000 to a super maximum contract of around $250,000. Last year, Spotrac listed the base salaries of 222 players on team rosters, and the average salary for middle-tier players was $102,249.

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For more than a year, the league and the WNBPA have been in talks regarding a new collective bargaining agreement. Players are pushing for a revenue-sharing model similar to the NBA’s, which they argue would fairly reflect the league’s growth. Their demands include higher salaries, codified charter travel, improved retirement benefits, family planning and pregnancy benefits, and better practice facilities and game standards.

Fans are not convinced of Natasha Cloud’s argument

Since the new proposal is not signed yet, and the deadline is approaching, the fans don’t want any further delays. So, any more delays would push back the start of the next season. Fans clearly don’t want that. Especially since the WNBA’s latest offer also increases the Year 1 salary cap to $5.75 million, up from $1.5 million in 2025, representing an increase of over 280%.

With a considerable increase in offers, the netizens are not backing Natasha Cloud. “Every time I listen to Natasha Cloud, I feel like some of my brain cells were destroyed by doing so.” The latest CBA proposal includes a revenue-sharing model that would allow more than 180 players to earn a maximum salary of more than $1 million in the first year of the deal.

Again, with more positives coming from the deal, the fans questioned the Liberty star’s judgment. “Serious Question: Does Natasha Cloud have fans? Like, does anyone actually like her?” In fact, the WNBPA vice president and Sparks guard Kelsey Plum called the offer so far a “significant win.”

So a netizen pointed out again the possibility of a lockout, which would mean zero revenue for the players. “You’re going to make a lot less if you don’t have a season…” Some comments on the internet were brutal “Role players talking like stars. Her opinion is irrelevant.” and “Then don’t play in NY. Problem solved.”

While the demand for an average salary increase is not wrong. But the current offer is way better than the previous offer on the table. The current average would be close to last year’s supermax contract.