News of 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones being traded from the Connecticut Sun to the New York Liberty rocked the WNBA this week, not only because she’s a big-name talent but also because of the salary cap implications.

What will the addition of Jones mean for the Liberty — and their rumored pursuit of several top free agents, including Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot?

Jones’ estimated salary for the 2023 season is $211,150. That’s huge for the Liberty because, with the 2023 salary cap rising to $1,420,500, New York still has wiggle room. They can build around Jones and star point guard Sabrina Ionescu (who will make $86,701 in 2023) and still land at least one big-time free agent.

While Stewart is the name who instantly comes to mind, as she met with the Liberty in the 2022 offseason before re-signing with the Storm, Vandersloot and the team have expressed mutual interest, The Next’s Howard Megdal reported Tuesday. And with a bit of salary cap creativity, they could bring in both.

Free agents can’t begin negotiations until Jan. 21, and they can’t sign contracts until February 1. But here’s what WNBA fans need to know about player salaries and revenue sharing before free agency begins in earnest.

Player salaries

When a team adds up the annual salaries of all the players on its roster, that total can’t exceed the salary cap, which for 2023 is $1,420,500. That represents a 3% increase from last year, when the salary cap was $1,379,200.

Hardship exceptions exist, if rostered players will miss significant time due to injuries, illnesses or other reasons. Outside of those exceptions, though, the salary cap is nonnegotiable.

Teams also must meet a minimum total salary of $1,188,990. If a team does not reach the minimum, that team must make extra payouts to its players at the end of the season, with the WNBA Players Association deciding on the distribution of the money.

Each team can have up to 12 players on its roster at a time, meaning the total salary (up to $1,420,500) must be divided among those 12 players. Contracts can vary, with the highest possible salary in 2023 sitting at $234,936. Rookie contracts are valued between $69,770 and $86,701 depending on where the player was selected in the draft. Those numbers, like the salary cap and salary minimum, increase every season.

Revenue sharing

In 2020, the league and the players signed a collective bargaining agreement that allows players to make money on top of their salaries by taking home a share of the league revenue. Essentially, as the league increases in value, the players make more money.

The NBA has a similar structure. But the WNBAs’s version of revenue sharing has a major difference, one Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum recently called out on “The Residency” podcast.

In the WNBA, the players receive 50% of the the league’s incremental revenue. In the NBA, players receive 50% of all revenue. That means WNBA players share in only the revenue earned above the league’s revenue target for that season. The revenue target goes up by 20% each season, but the actual numbers are unknown.

So the league needs to exceed its revenue goal for a season in order for players to reap the rewards.

Law enforcement officers made two arrests after anonymous crowd members at five different WNBA games this week disrupted play by tossing green sex toys onto the court.

"It's ridiculous, it's dumb, it's stupid," LA Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts said after one of the flying objects nearly hit visiting Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham during the teams' Tuesday matchup.

"It's also dangerous, and you know, player safety is number one, respecting the game, all those things," she continued.

Each act appears to be the work of different individuals, with one teenage perpetrator reportedly calling it a "stupid prank that was trending on social media."

The first documented incident occurred during a July 29th game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Atlanta Dream, with copycat incidents then cropping up in Chicago, Phoenix, and Los Angeles.

In response, the WNBA released a statement last week, affirming that "The safety and well-being of everyone in our arenas is a top priority for our league. Objects of any kind thrown onto the court or in the seating area can pose a safety risk for players, game officials, and fans."

The league also promised immediate ejection and a one-year minimum ban for anyone who intentionally tosses anything onto a WNBA court, in addition to local arrests and prosecution.

The North Carolina Courage cut ties with head coach Sean Nahas on Wednesday, abruptly announcing the manager's firing ahead of the NWSL team's Friday night match against the Houston Dash.

The brief club announcement noted that the termination was "effective immediately."

"The North Carolina Courage remain focused on the continued development of the team and maintaining a professional, competitive environment for players, staff, and supporters," the team said in a statement.

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Nahas has helmed the Courage since October 2021, first taking over as interim head coach following the firing of embattled ex-manager Paul Riley. The club elevated the now-47-year-old to permanent manager prior to the 2022 season.

Across his nearly four years in Cary, Nahas amassed an overall 36-35-19 record while leading the Courage to two NWSL Challenge Cup trophies and a pair of playoff berths.

A Thursday morning press conference with NC Courage sporting director Ceri Bowley and director of communications Jake Levy did not reveal any specificities surrounding Nahas's dismissal, with Bowley simply saying the decision was based on a "multitude of factors."

"The standards of this club are extremely high, and it was felt that there [were] reasons that we needed to make a change in order to uphold the standards that we expect of the North Carolina Courage," he added.

The Courage currently sit just outside the postseason cutoff line at No. 9 on the 2025 NWSL table.

Assistant coach Nathan Thackeray will lead the team as they travel to Houston to face the No. 12 Dash on Friday.

This year's US Open champions are cashing in, with the pro tennis season's final Grand Slam boosting its overall prize money by 20% — and upping the 2025 men's and women's singles winner's payout to a record $5 million each.

Total player compensation will rise to $90 million across all competitions, making the 2025 US Open the highest-paying tournament in tennis history, with its singles champions banking the biggest payday in the sport's history.

Finalists and semifinalists are also getting a bump, with this year's runners-up cashing $2.5 million checks while semifinalists will walk with $1.26 million each.

In addition, champions of the men's, women's, and mixed doubles competitions will each walk away with $1 million for the first time in US Open history.

In 2024, the New York City Slam's total purse weighed in at $75 million, with singles winners earning $3.6 million each — making this year's $5 million check a 39% raise.

Since then, 2024 US Open champ Aryna Sabalenka and others have spoken out about increasing both payments and transparency in pro tennis, with the sport's Top-20 ranked women and men reportedly co-signing a letter requesting "substantial" purse increases to all four Grand Slams this past April.

While both the French Open and Wimbledon increased this year's overall purses by 5% and 7%, respectively, the US Open "made a deliberate and concerted effort to ensure double-digit percentage increases from 2024 in all rounds of all events for all players," according to the tournament's press release.

Notably, the 2025 Australian Open increased its overall prize pool by over 11%, though that boost came before the players' letter and not all winning categories saw double-digit percentage raises.

The No. 4 Phoenix Mercury are keeping up with the Joneses, rattling off two straight wins against the No. 11 Chicago Sky and No. 13 Connecticut Sun to offset a series of midseason losses.

Phoenix's course-correction has revolved around a surging Alyssa Thomas, with veteran forward recording back-to-back triple-doubles this week.

Notably, this is the third time in her career that Thomas has hit two straight triple-doubles — a feat no other WNBA player has accomplished even once.

"AT's just legendary," Phoenix's Satou Sabally said of her star teammate. "You really have to be ready, and be in the game all the time with her. It keeps your brain on. She will make the right play."

The Mercury will have their work cut out for them on Thursday night, as they prepare to face a stepped-up opponent with revenge on the mind — and a directive to remain atop the WNBA standings:

• No. 3 Atlanta Dream vs. No. 11 Chicago Sky, 8 PM ET (Prime): The Sky snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 78-64 win over No. 10 Washington on Tuesday, but they'll have their hands full against a deep Atlanta side as injured Chicago starter Angel Reese watches from the sideline.

• No. 13 Connecticut Sun vs. No. 9 Los Angeles Sparks, 10 PM ET (WNBA League Pass): The Sparks host the Sun with a big opportunity ahead, as Wednesday's Golden State loss to Las Vegas opens the door for LA to climb the table — should they continue their winning ways.

• No. 5 Indiana Fever vs. No. 4 Phoenix Mercury, 10 PM ET (Prime): The Fever bested the Mercury just last week, but Phoenix will aim to flip the script as Indiana once again hits the court without injured star Caitlin Clark.