Tuesday's CBA deadline has arrived, as both the league and WNBPA remain divided with unsettled negotiations threatening to delay the 2026 WNBA season.
The league reportedly issued its most recent proposal on Saturday, with no new clarity around issues like revenue sharing and housing stipends.
"We want the deal done, we want to have the season," WNBPA VP Breanna Stewart said over the weekend. "We just need to find the right numbers that reflect it."
Should the parties not reach a deal by Tuesday night, the union could call for a work stoppage, with the WNBPA voting to authorize a strike last December.
The WNBA is currently operating under a status quo from the previous CBA, with a moratorium on offseason transactions preventing player movement.
With expansion drafts, free agency, and a college draft left in the lurch, any delay beyond the deadline will impact the upcoming season, even without an official work stoppage.
That said, it's unclear whether the WNBA plans to push the season's previously announced May 8th tipoff, or attempt to instead truncate the 2026 preseason.
"Negotiation is not easy.... When I negotiate deals, you go back and forth until you come to a common ground," Chicago Sky star Angel Reese said from this week's USA Basketball camp. "We do all want to play basketball. But at the same time, we do want to be compensated for what we deserve."
