The WNBA is entering one of the most important offseasons in league history. Two expansion teams are set to join the W in Toronto and Portland. Meanwhile, the WNBA and players are in the middle of CBA negotiations that could have huge ramifications for the league.
The Athletic's Ben Pickman provided an update on those negotiations on Wednesday.
“Despite the apparent tensions on the key issue, the two sides continue to meet, with players attending some of the sessions,” Pickman wrote. “During the 2025 WNBA Finals, WNBPA executive committee members Nneka Ogwumike, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert attended an in-person meeting, sources with knowledge of the meeting told The Athletic.”
That meeting came one week after Collier's explosive press conference where she criticized Engelbert's leadership of the W.
Despite those tension, one source told The Athletic that the negotiations one week later remained respectful.
There is a firm October 31st deadline on the current CBA negotiations.
If an agreement is not made by then, the league risks a lockout that could delay the 2026 WNBA season.
WNBA insiders not panicking about CBA negotiations yet despite likely missed deadline
Many WNBA fans are worried about a potential lockout with that October 31st CBA deadline fast approaching. However, ESPN's Kendra Andrews and Alexa Philippou are not hitting the panic button just yet.
One anonymous source told ESPN that deals like this one tend to happen at the last minute.
“In the end, a work stoppage doesn't benefit anybody,” the source said. “I don't know exactly how far people are off. But generally, when I've seen these things, usually as it comes closer to crunch time, everybody kind of moves a little bit closer together, and we can get to a deal that's reasonable enough.”
Andrews and Philippou explained that the league and union are “more likely” to agree on an extension by October 31st than reach an actual settlement.
“While I hope we make the October 31st deadline, and that is a real deadline from that perspective, we have extended deadlines in the past,” she said.
It will be interesting to see how this story develops over the next week.
Hopefully the WNBA and its players can avoid a potential lockout and sign a new agreement that works for everyone.
