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By Matt Audilet
Contributing Sports Writer
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The WNBA and the WNBA Players Association came to a verbal agreement on terms for a new collective bargaining agreement, according to ESPN insider Shams Charania.
The deal comes after prolonged negotiations and just 51 days before the start of the 2026 WNBA season.
Under the new agreement, the league's salary cap will jump to $7 million — up from the $1.5 million figure in 2025. The new supermax contract minimum is $1.4 million, up from $249,244.
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The new average WNBA salary will be $600,000 and the new minimum salary will exceed $300,000. Those figures sat at $120,000 and $66,079 in 2025.
"The progress made in these discussions marks a transformative step forward for players and the league," WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert said, via Charania, "and it's underscoring a shared commitment to the continued growth of the game.
"It's [been] a process, but we're very proud to be leading in women's sports, and these players are amazing, and we're going to have an amazing 30th season tipping off in May."
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This new agreement comes amid the league's skyrocketing popularity, facilitated by superstar players like Caitlin Clark.
Since her entrance into the league as the Indiana Fever's No. 1 overall pick in 2024, Clark has helped facilitate countless TV viewership and in-person attendance records. Now, it appears the All-Star point guard will be compensated for her contributions.
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In a debut season that saw her win WNBA Rookie of the Year, record multiple triple-doubles and set the all-time single-season assist record, Clark earned a salary of $76,535. Last year, her salary rose to $78,066 under the second year of her rookie contract.
Before this new bargaining agreement, Clark was set to earn $85,873 this coming WNBA season.
As one of the league's top players, Clark will now earn well above the new $600,000 average. And following the fourth year of her rookie contract, she'll be eligible to sign a supermax deal with the Fever.
"We're just really grateful to be able to come to a deal," WNBA Players Association president Nneka Ogwumike said in a statement. "We're proud of ourselves. And quite frankly, we always told you all we were going to stand on business, and that's what this looks like."
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